Biforis Alohomora Regnum
by Elite Katty Freak
Summary: Three Harry Potter obsessed girls are transferred to the wizarding world after accidentally opening a portal...There's no Slash here either, sorry guys p
1. Biforis Alohomora Regnum

All Harry Potter characters are owned by J K Rowling. Grace belongs to Grace, one of the authors of this fic, and Katie belongs to Katie, the other author.  
Tam belongs to herself, and the mini figurine of Oliver Wood belongs to Mattel. The plot belongs to Grace and Katie, and we'd like to dedicate this fic to Tam, since she's moving away from us...*sniffles* Buh bye Kammy, we love you!!!  
  
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**Chapter One – Biforis Alohomora Regnum**  
  
A brunette girl smiled with deep interest as she talked to Oliver Wood. "So Oliver, what are you doing tonight?"  
Her friend sitting next to her glanced up from her copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, raising an eyebrow. "Uhh...what are you doing Katie?"  
"Talking to Oliver!" she said as if this needed no explanation.  
"...He's a plastic figurine!" the other girl, Grace, blurted out.  
Katie, who was holding a Mattel version of Gryffindor's keeper Oliver Wood on her knee, immediately covered his little plastic ears with her hands. "Don't listen to her Oliver!" she cried in shock. She turned back to Grace. "You know I could make him real…" she said darkly.  
"Oh, come off it, you're not that powerful." Grace said, rolling her eyes. She looked around them at the lounge room floor, which was covered in junk food, Harry Potter books, but mainly, Katie's Wiccan spell books and equipment. "I think we should clean this space up. Tamara's going to get here any second and there's hardly a clean space for her to sit in." she said, referring to their other Potter-mad friend.  
  
They spent the next few minutes picking up empty wrappers and piling the Wiccan stuff into a neat heap. The second, third, fourth Potter novels and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them and Quidditch Through the Ages still lay spread out on the floor. Katie was quietly reading out loud from one of her Latin textbooks while Grace quietly read from Philosopher's Stone, particularly the part when the trio had accidentally stumbled into the third floor corridor.  
"Biforis-" Katie muttered.  
"Alohomora!" Grace imitated Hermione.  
"-Regnum." Said Katie.  
A small sound like fire crackling and spitting reached their ears and they looked up from their books with void expressions. "Is something burning?" Grace asked Katie.  
"Do you see smoke?" Katie asked sarcastically.  
Grace pointed to the copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which lay behind Katie. "Yes." She said with a worried look, and sure enough, the novel was engulfed in black smoke. Suddenly, it burst into green and gold flames, which shot across the floor and united with Goblet of Fire. The two girls looked at each other in alarm.  
"What on earth did you say!?!" Grace cried.  
"ME? What did you say!?!" Katie yelled.  
"I read out the spell Hermione says to unlock doors!"  
  
By now, the flames on Goblet of Fire had created another stream of fire with Quidditch Through the Ages, forming the point of a pentacle.  
"I said 'biforis' which is Latin for having two doors or openings, then 'regnum' which means realm!" Katie exclaimed. Another line of fire connected with Chamber of Secrets.  
Something clicked in their little minds. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Katie asked Grace.  
"I think I am." Grace nodded as the flames on Chamber of Secrets sped across to Fantastic Beasts. "Great, we created a new spell and, in doing so, unlocked the two doors or an opening that separates our worlds…or realm. You opened a portal." She accused.  
"You did it too!" Katie protested.  
The fire was connected between all the books, except for the last link from Fantastic Beasts back to Prisoner of Azkaban. The books had accidentally been spread out like the five points of a star when they had been absent-mindedly moved and shuffled around on the lounge room floor. Katie and Grace looked at the magical fire on Fantastic Beasts, which was threatening to jump across and join Prisoner of Azkaban.  
  
"It's okay guys! I can ring the fire brigade!" said a voice. Tamara had arrived and was standing in the doorway with her mobile phone. "Quick! What's the number for triple zero!?!" The other two just looked at her and raised an eyebrow each, then cried "How can you expect us to think, Tam!?! We're stuck in this nearly finished portal if you haven't realised yet!"  
"But I just got here!" Tam cried, "Where are you going?"  
"We don't know!" Grace cried, exasperated.  
Tam's jaw hit the floor. "I am so coming with you!" she cried and was just about to join them in the centre of the nearly formed pentacle when Katie cried, "No, wait! Tam, go and find some money around the house, we might need it wherever we're going." She looked around. "And get our jackets, and bags, it might be cold…and maybe some chocolate-"  
"Yeah, we need chocolate." Grace agreed.  
"And a pillow for me," Katie continued. "I just hate it when I wake up after travelling and my neck is really sore. And we'll be taking this." She said, holding up the spell book in her hand.  
  
Tam darted frantically around the house gathering everything, then came back into the lounge room and dumped everything into the other's laps. Suddenly, the last link shot across to join the last book so quickly, the pentacle of fire shook and turned a bright blue.  
"Quick, Tam! Jump in!" Katie cried in a panic.  
Tam jumped in and, with a blindingly bright flash, the three girls and everything inside the pentacle disappeared, leaving slight scorch marks where the books had rested.  
  
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So what so you think? Review/Flame away! 


	2. Quidditch Match

Welcome to the second chapter! All Harry Potter characters are owned by J K Rowling. Grace belongs to Grace, one of the authors of this fic, and Katie belongs to Katie, the other author. Tam belongs to herself.  
The plot belongs to Grace and Katie, and this story is still dedicated to Tam who's moved far far away from us *sniffles* we miss you Tam!  
  
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**Chapter Two – Quidditch Match**  
  
The three girls picked themselves up from where they had collapsed.  
They looked around at their surroundings, and Tam and Katie's attention was quickly adverted as their jaws dropped.  
"Hey…guys?" Grace asked, looking around at the people who surrounded them. Blue, black and bronze clad teens, more or less their age sat around them, their eyes interested in the intense Quidditch match in front and above them.  
"Guys?" Grace asked again, still getting no response from Tam and Katie who now had slightly glazed expressions.  
"Look where we are dammit!" Grace demanded, slightly annoyed at Tam and Katie's lack of interest.  
"Shhh…Draco…" Tam said softly, her eyes watching his every move.  
Grace's eyes scanned who was playing. Slytherin and Gryffindor.  
"Oh no…" Grace murmured. She looked at Katie, who, as she had expected, was watching Oliver Wood with a dreamy expression.  
Ignoring them for the moment, Grace looked around; evaluating what was happening and where they were.  
"Okay…surrounded by Ravenclaws…heh, yay…Watching Gryffindor play against Slytherin…Slytherin appears to be winning…I think we need to blend in somehow…" Grace murmured as she caught a nearby Ravenclaw casting them a confused glance. "We must really stand out…" she looked at their clothes. Tam in her skirt and sleeveless shirt, Katie in her knee high boots, ripped black skirt and lacy extra long sleeved top and herself in jeans and a green stretch top. All their books, jackets, chocolate, wallets and bags were at their feet.  
Grace scooped up their things and divided them into bags quickly.  
"Here!" Grace said quietly, shoving each of them their bag and jacket.  
Tam and Katie automatically slipped their jackets on and held onto their bags as they continued watching their two boys dreamily.  
Grace sighed in defeat. "There's no point in trying to go anywhere, we wont be able to talk to anyone about anything anyway…" Grace sat down to watch the game.  
  
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"Oooh, that's gotta hurt!" Grace cried, getting into the game as one of the Slytherin chasers got pounded by a heavy bludger Fred Weasley had sent speeding their way.   
"Ha! Take that Slytherin scum! - Sorry Professor, yes, it won't happen again, yes, I'll make sure…" Lee Jordan who was commentating said into the microphone as Professor McGonagall scolded him. Suddenly-  
"The Golden Snitch!" Jordan cried and everyone leaned forward on the edge of their seat to try and catch a glimpse of the small, golden winged ball. The snitch zipped past the front row of seats and was suddenly followed by a blurred streak of crimson, which in turn was followed by another streak in green.  
"The Seekers have spotted the snitch and quickly gain on it!" Lee Jordan yelled, and an increase of noise rose from the crowd.  
"Go Dracoooo!" Tam cried, waving her arms around. "You can do it! Knock him off his broom!"  
Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy sped after the Snitch, Draco with a malevolent grin on his face as he purposely locked broom handles with Potter's Firebolt. Meanwhile, the Slytherin chasers had taken advantage of everyone focussing on the seekers, that they managed to put two goals past Oliver Wood who had been cheering Harry on. Katie noticed the extra goals and jumped to her feet. "NO! Pay attention Oliver!! They're scoring!" she cried in horror.  
The noise from the crowd had swelled and now nearly everyone was on their feet as Harry and Draco struggled for the snitch. Draco knew his Nimbus 2001 could never match the speed of Harry's Firebolt, so instead, his tactics had turned to slowing Harry down in any way possible. At the moment, he had resorted to taking hold of the broom's perfectly position twigs and pulling it back. Harry twisted around and tried to shove Draco's hand off his broom.  
"Hold on, Draco!" Tam yelled from the crowd.   
"Let go, you dirty, rotten- " came Lee Jordan's voice.  
"Jordan, what did I say!?!"  
"Sorry again, Professor!"  
George Weasley had flown out in front of Harry and was about to slap Draco's hand of the broom, when his arm accidentally brushed against the Golden Snitch. All the Slytherins in the crowd started booing and Lee Jordan spoke into the microphone again.  
"And the Gryffindor beater breaks the Snitchnip rule, which involves any other player than the seeker touching or catching the snitch! So a foul to Gryffindor, even though it was perfectly understandable mistake which I'm sure anyone could have made…"  
Madam Hooch who was refereeing the match lined up the players and a Slytherin chaser managed to get the Quaffle through a goal hoop.  
"BOOOO!!!" Katie shouted. "That's not fair! Draco locked broom handles with Harry! That's Blurting!"  
A Ravenclaw sitting on the other side of them jumped to their feet. "Yeah!!" they cried in agreement, and in no time, the argument of defence had spread through the crowd. Madam Hooch blew her whistle signalling the foul and the players took their positions around the 50-foot high hoops again.  
Alicia Spinnet, a Gryffindor chaser took the penalty and scored with no trouble. Play resumed, but Harry didn't waste any time, and within seconds, he was after the snitch again. Draco however, was too far away this time to catch up to Harry. The Slytherin beaters tried their hardest to pelt bludgers at Harry. One narrowly missed him as it sped over his head. He ducked and urged his broom on faster. The snitch was getting closer… The Gryffindor spectators cheered loudly as Harry found the last burst of speed that propelled him forwards, pushing the Golden Snitch into his outstretched hand. His fingers enclosed it into his palm and the Gyrffindors erupted into loud chaos. The players landed, the Gryffindor team surrounded by the other students in their house, the Slytherins landing on solid ground again, looking dejected and shaking their heads. Tam sat back down and folded her arms in a huff. Katie cheered for Oliver and did a little victory dance.  
"Brilliant!" Grace yelled, and the next thing they knew, they were being swept along by the hundreds of students who were all heading back into the castle.  
  
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So what so you think? Review/Flame away! 


	3. Dumbledore's Office

Welcome to the third chapter! All Harry Potter characters are still owned by J K Rowling. Grace belongs to Grace, one of the authors of this fic, and Katie belongs to Katie, the other author. Tam belongs to herself, of course. The plot still belongs to Grace and Katie, and we're still dedicating this fic to Tam.  
  
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**Chapter Three – Dumbledore's Office**  
  
Tamara, Katie and Grace were bustled into Hogwarts castle as students went back inside after what had been a very close Quidditch match between Slytherin and Gryffindor. By the time they had been swept along into the castle, the three girls had already received a few dozen suspicious stares from people. Then, quite suddenly, they found themselves in a nearly deserting Entrance Hall. Everyone had disappeared back into common rooms. Tam took a few steps forward, bumped into someone and tripped. Luckily, the other two managed to catch her and they all looked up to see who she had collided with. Looking down at them with a stern face was a tall boy with flaming red hair, freckles, horn-rimmed glasses and a silver badge pinned to his black school robes that read 'HB'- Head Boy.  
"What do you think you're playing at?' he demanded, waving his hand at their clothes. "Where are your robes, and why haven't you gone back to your common rooms? I have half a mind to tell your head of house! Sneaking around the castle with absolutely no regard for school rules… It's people like you that give Hogwarts a bad name. Imagine what the delegations would think if they were to see you three like this- forget I said that, everyone will find out this evening, but I've given my word to McGonagall and Dumbledore not to tell anyone. They trust me, you see. I have to uphold my responsibility to them; it's part of the very important position of being Head Boy. Not many people would know. It takes a very reliable student to be in my place, as you three would be very well aware…"  
He went on like this for a few more minutes until Katie interrupted him and said simply "You must be Percy."  
"Well of course I am, who DOESN'T know. I am regarded as a very important person in the school community. You can always rely on me to-"  
"We get it!" Tam said sharply.  
"And we didn't mean to break any school rules…" Grace added. "We're not exactly from around here…"  
Percy pushed his glasses back up his nose and peered down at them more closely. "I don't remember seeing your faces around school before…" he agreed. "Where do you live? The London area? Kent? Wales? Glasgow?"  
"Err…Australia." Katie told him.  
"Well this is a serious violation Hogwart's rules!" he exclaimed anxiously. "At least tell me you're witches."  
Tam, Katie and Grace averted their gaze and looked nervously around the Hall. Percy smacked his forehead and groaned.  
"You lot are in serious trouble. I'm afraid I'll have to take you to see Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. Maybe you can explain to him how you even got inside the grounds because heaven knows I have no idea. Follow me."  
They set off up the staircase that lead away from Entrance Hall and walked along many corridors until they got to a statue of a stone gargoyle.  
"Pepper Imp." Percy said clearly, and the gargoyle sprang aside to reveal another set of stairs. They followed Percy up it, casting scared glances at each other, all of them very nervous.  
"Here we are." Said Percy as they came to a halt outside a door. He raised a hand and knocked with a flourish, then quickly straightened his glasses and smoothed down his hair.  
"Enter…" called an old and tired voice.  
Dumbledore was in.  
  
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Percy pushed open the door, which swung forward with a long, high-pitched creek. Albus Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, which was piled high with scrolls of parchment. He glanced up and looked at the three girls and Percy through his half-moon spectacles. His face wore a worn out, tired expression which made Katie, Tam and Grace shuffle about guiltily.  
Percy stepped forward, puffing out his chest. "Professor, I found these three muggles inside the castle. I think- "  
"Thank you Percy, I will deal with this privately." Dumbledore cut in after he had taken off his glasses, polished them on his robes and placed them back on his nose hurriedly, staring at the strange trio. Percy sniffed indignantly and left the circular room, closing the door behind him as he descended down the staircase.  
Dumbledore literally drew up three chairs with his wand, positioning them in front of his desk.  
"Sit please." He said, and after they anxiously obeyed, he rested his elbows on the desktop and sighed heavily. "I can plainly see that you are unfamiliar with this environment, so it would help me greatly if you repeated your actions and whereabouts from the last few hours." He looked down at them, expecting someone to talk. When nobody did because all three of them were staring at the Hogwart's Headmaster with frozen faces, he cleared his throat and said "Tamara, if you wouldn't mind to do us the honours."  
Tam snapped out if it. "How did you know my- "  
"Ssshh!" Grace whispered. And then said in a low voice "This is **Dumbledore**, he knows _all_…"  
Tam looked at the other two who responded with eager nods.  
"Well, Mister Dumbledore, sir. I was going to see Katie and Grace at Katie's house…err, that's in Australia…but when I turned up, they were sitting in the middle of all these Harry Po- I mean, they were sitting in the middle of some books and they had apparently opened a portal, sir."  
"A portal, Tamara?"  
"Yes, Mister Professor Dumbledore sir. We had accidentally created a spell, you see." Grace explained.  
"Would you please care to elaborate, Katharine?" Dumbledore asked, using Katie's full name.  
"Well, we said 'Biforis Alohomora regnum'. It transported us here." Said Katie. Dumbledore nodded, recognising the words. "If you don't mind my asking, how did you become familiar with the 'Alohomora' charm?" he asked.  
The three girls exchanged a nervous glance.  
"Well, Mister Professor Sir…I study Latin…back home…and I'm also kinda…pagan…so I have witchcraft books at home…and it was just in one of them." Katie answered nervously.  
"Do you know of any way to get back to your home again?" Dumbledore asked.  
The three shook their heads.  
"It was kinda…by accident and random that we ended up here…and I'm not sure what would happen if we tried to reverse it…" Grace replied.  
Dumbledore leaned back into his chair and pressed his fingertips together thoughtfully.  
"Well I suppose on those circumstances…it would be best if you three stayed here until we figure to a way get you three back home safely…" Dumbledore decided, keeping his eyes on the three girls to watch their reaction.  
The three girls blinked in shock for a few seconds, then all spoke at once.  
"Oh…my…god…are you serious!?!"  
"How amazingly cool! This is going to be fantastic!"  
"My dreams come true! Thankyou so much Mister Dumbledore Professor Sir!"  
Dumbledore chuckled with a small smile. "You seem quite happy and comfortable to be staying here away from your home for what could be ages…any reasons why?" Dumbledore asked with an inquisitive glint in his eyes.  
The three girls looked at each other sideways.  
"Well…just look at all the history that's around here!" Tam exclaimed.  
"And I love castles…I've always wanted to go to one!" Grace added.  
"And I love everything about magick…this is like a dream! A whole school devoted to it…this is amazing!" Katie finished.  
Dumbledore's very slight suspicion lifted and he smiled warmly.  
"Well, it'd be better for you to join here as real students. Keep interfering reporters and their Quick Quotes Quills out of faces." Dumbledore spoke aloud thoughtfully once again.  
"Could we possibly be allowed in the same house? Like, the blue and bronze one?" Grace asked hopefully.  
"Or the silver and green?" Tam asked.  
"Or even the gold and red?" Katie added.  
Dumbledore shook his head. "I'm afraid not. If you're going to be a student here, you need to follow all the school rules and rituals. One especially being the sorting into different houses. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. You shall be chosen according to your characteristics and exactly how your minds work. So there is still a chance that you shall be sorted into the same house." Dumbledore said reassuringly.  
Each of the three girls nodded with a happy smile, but each in their own minds were hoping for different houses. Tam for Slytherin to be closer to Draco, Katie for Gryffindor to be with Oliver and Grace for Ravenclaw because that was her favourite house, although they weren't about to let Dumbledore know they already knew heaps about the school.  
"We'll fit you in tonight before dinner so you can be initiated in front of the school and other teachers." Dumbledore added. He saw their slightly nervous faces and chuckled once again. "Don't worry about it. It happens to everyone, so they know how it feels, it'll be over before you know it. And despite what rumours fly around here, you don't have to battle anything, and you won't get hurt in the process of 'proving yourself' to which house you're fit for."  
The girls giggled as they got the joke more then Dumbledore knew, remembering what Ron's older brother's, the twins, had told Ron before he had been sorted.  
"Percy!" Dumbledore suddenly called.  
A slight noise was heard from behind the door. Percy, who had unknowingly crept back up the stairs, and had been eavesdropping, slowly opened the door, blushing as red as his hair.  
"Would you kindly show these girls around the school grounds until it is time for everyone to assemble for dinner?" Dumbledore asked, a smile on his face as he watched Percy gather himself together again.  
"Certainly, Professor." Percy replied, his freckles appearing redder because of the blush on his face. He gave a dignified sniff, turned on his heel and the four of them left Dumbledore alone in his office once more.  
  
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So what so you think? Review/Flame away! 


	4. The Sorting

Welcome to the forth chapter! All Harry Potter characters are still owned by J K Rowling. Grace belongs to Grace, one of the authors of this fic, and Katie belongs to Katie, the other author. Tam belongs to herself, of course. The plot still belongs to Grace and Katie, and we're still dedicating this fic to Tam.  
  
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**Chapter Four – The Sorting**  
  
"We are now on the second floor." Percy said in a monotone. Tamara, Katie and Grace had been 'entertained' by Percy for the past hour, and were having trouble keeping up with his brisk walk, owing to the fact that they had been dragging their feet along, bored with Percy's commentary.  
"This is the second floor corridor. Students use it to get to classrooms on the second floor." Percy continued.  
"Fascinating…" Katie muttered, playing with the rips in her gothic skirt.  
"I knew you'd think so." Percy replied. They passed an empty classroom. "This is the History of Magic Classroom. Students study the History of Magic in there."  
"No kidding…" Grace said, and then they were scaling yet anther staircase.  
"Where will this take us – oops…" Said Tam making the others turn around. "Uhhh…I think I'm stuck." She said, and sure enough, Tamara's right leg was knee deep in a trick step.  
"Cool!" Katie and Grace cried, and stuck a leg in each too.  
Percy let out an irritated sigh. "Oh, now really! Couldn't you three make this tour a little easy for me?"  
"Any easier and we would've died of boredom…" Grace muttered.  
"This is a good experience for us!" Katie protested, trying to pull her leg free. "But…umm...how 'bout a little help, ay Percy?"  
Percy rolled his eyes and extended an arm down to them, pulling Tam out, and then the other two.  
"Oh, I suddenly remembered something!" Percy exclaimed. "I'll be right back you three, so DON'T go ANYWHERE. And for goodness sakes, don't go jumping into that step again." And he hurried down a hallway and out of sight.  
Just then, there seemed to be a massive eruption as students came pilling into the corridors from their common rooms, all of them hungry and ready for dinner.  
Katie, Tam and Grace stood stock still as they were surrounded by the commotion, as if they were standing in the middle of a busy highway. The halls cleared as the students went to put their books and bags away and get ready for dinner, and, in that time, Percy re-appeared with a stack of three spare plain black school robes.  
"You'll be needing to wear these now." He said and showed them the way to one of the girl's bathrooms where they changed into their robes, pulling them over the clothes they were already wearing.  
"I don't see why I can't wear what I've got on already…" Katie muttered, always proud of her gothic wear. "It's black! Blacker then the robes if that's possible!"  
"They're sort of like the school uniform…" Grace replied as they re-emerged from the bathroom.  
They joined Percy and the rest of the students as they went down to the Great Hall for dinner.  
  
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Tamara, Grace and Katie were seated at the teacher's table, between Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout. Everyone in the Great Hall was staring at the three, whispering about them and pointing, with their new faces, unsuited robes and blushing expressions…  
When everyone was seated, Professor McGonagall tapped her glass for silence and the headmaster rose from his seat. "Due to recent events, we have three late admissions to the beginning of this term."  
"But they're not the same age as first years!" Fred Weasley said over the hushed whispers that were floating around each of the four long house tables.  
"Yes Mr Weasley, myself and the other staff members are aware of that." Dumbledore said with an amused smile.  
Katie, Grace and Tamara meanwhile had suddenly found their shoes extremely interesting, and the tips of Tam's ears had gone bright pink.  
McGonagall had risen from her seat and had fetched the three-legged stool used for the Sorting Ceremony, and, placed on the seat was the famous battered and worn Sorting Hat.  
She organised the trio to stand in a line, side to side by the hat, which opened its mouth like brim and began to recite it's poem.  
  


_So as it's been said  
Many times and more  
Once already this year  
So I'm bored to the core  
I have one job  
And that is all  
To sort you out  
To make the call  
To state which house  
Your soul will belong  
Where you shall live  
While you're prolonged  
I tell the tale  
Of houses four  
This is the last  
Then I'll say no more  
In Gryffindor, the daring one  
The bravest of them all.  
In Ravenclaw their wit and skill  
Will never let them fall.  
For Hufflepuff their loyalty and sweetness  
Is well known.  
In Slytherin the power lies  
They can't be over-thrown.  
So try me on now  
See where your fate lies  
I speak only the truth  
I am nothing but wise  
I've been in this for years  
I know my job well  
Lay aside your fears  
Then the answer I'll tell..._

  
  
When it had finished, the rest of the school broke into applause and someone said, "So it can make up a new poem in less then a year!"  
"Yeah, it doesn't seem to happy about doing it though, does it?" Katie whispered to the other two.  
"Maybe it's angry with us and it'll put us all into Slytherin!" Grace whispered back.  
"Yay!" Tam cried gleefully.  
McGonagall stepped up and pulled out a small piece of parchment. "When I call your name, kindly sit on the stool and put the sorting hat on." She said clearly. "…Almasy, Tamara."  
Tam gulped, walked two paces to the stool, sat down and placed the Sorting hat on her head.  
Everyone fell silent and waited with unsure anticipation…  
_'Helllloooo?'_ Tam thought.  
_'Good evening'_ came the reply. _'Which house shall we put you in tonight then?'_  
_'I have a fair idea'_ Tam thought with a hopeful smile, but the hat ignored her with silence, and Tam knew it was thinking.  
_'A bit nervous, aren't we?'_ The Sorting Hat asked.  
Tam nodded. _'A bit…'_  
_'Some polite conversation until you've calmed down then, Tamara?'_  
_'Sure.'_ Tam answered gratefully.  
_'So…whose side is it on in your family? Mother or Father?'_ the Sorting Hat asked.  
_'Pardon?'_ she asked, confused.  
_'Where does your wizard blood come from? Your mother…or your father?'_ The hat asked in more detail.  
_'I'm a half blood?'_ Tamara asked in awe.  
_'Well obviously. How else would you have been able to get here?'_ The Sorting Hat asked. Tamara was sure if the Sorting Hat had eyes, it would have rolled them.  
_'Whoa…I'm a half blood…'_ Tam grinned.  
_'Don't tell me you had no idea about this…'_ The Sorting Hat said.  
Tam sat in silence, as she was lost in her dreams of being able to do magic.  
_'Well…back to the job…Are you brave and courageous?'_ It asked.  
_'I walk into poles…'_ Tam stated thoughtfully.  
_'Yes, a daring act…but no, Gryffindor is not the house for you…'_  
  
"What's taking so long?" Katie hissed to Grace, as Grace teetered back and forth on her heels, waiting anxiously for Tam to be sorted. Suddenly, they heard Tamara let out a small giggle and a moment later the Sorting Hat yelled out…  
"SLYTHERIN!!!"  
Tam whipped the hat off her head and went to join the Slytherin table. She approached it slowly though, as she noticed that the majority of them were mumbling in low voices, clearly undecided about having her added to their mists.  
Then someone sitting at the middle of the table cried out, in Gyrffindors direction, "We got one of the newbies!!!" this sent a tidal wave of pride along the table and suddenly, tam fund herself being pulled in all directions with the words "Sit over here!" "No! She wants to sit over HERE!" buzzing around her ears.  
When Tamara had finally managed to sit down and tear her eyes away from Draco Malfoy, who was sitting three seats down from her, she looked back up to the teachers table, where McGonagall had taken out her piece of parchment again.  
"…Fowler, Grace!" Prof. McGonagall announced.  
Grace stepped forward out of the line and made her way to the stool, sitting down before she pulled the hat on, which fell slightly over her eyes.  
Now by herself, Katie, finally not blushing as much, scanned the audience at the Gryffindor table for the only guy she was interested in. When she finally caught sight of him, she started blushing again as she noticed he was already watching her. Oliver smiled and winked at her, waving slightly, making her smile softly at his attention and wave back a little.  
While Katie was blushing happily, Grace was having a nice conversation with the Sorting Hat.  
_'Hi there…'_ Grace thought.  
_'Hello Miss Fowler. And how are you tonight?'_  
_'Quite spiffing…'_ Grace said sarcastically, imitating a posh British accept.  
_'No need for sarcasm.'_  
**.Silence.**  
_'Well, do you have any idea which house your ancestors were in?'_  
_'…Sorry?'_  
_'Your ancestors. From Switzerland.'_ The Sorting Hat replied, nearly bored.  
Grace tried to think privately, but she knew the Sorting Hat would hear.  
_'Doesn't ring a bell?'_  
_'Hang on…let me think…'_ Grace replied. _'Switzerland…Switzerland…oh yeah! That's where the first people in my family originated from…Pffffft, they weren't magic!'_  
_'Well they must've been. I suggest the magic has been passed on from generation to generation. In fact, it should have nearly bred out.'_  
_'Shhhh…'_ Grace hushed. _'I want to remember this moment forever…'_  
_'Well I hate to end the Science lesson, but I have a job to do.'_ The Hat said.  
_'Okay…'_ Grace sighed. _'But I don't think I belong in Gryffindor or Slytherin…'_  
_'Quick!'_ The Sorting Hat said suddenly. _'What's eight times seven?!'_  
_'Fifty-Six!'_ Grace replied in a confused panic. And before she knew what was happening-...  
**"RAVENCLAW!!!"**  
_'Yesssss!'_ Grace thought triumphantly and jumped up off the stool to join her temporary fellow Ravenclaws.  
  
Meanwhile, Katie had barely noticed as she had continued to gaze at Oliver shyly as Grace had been sorted, and it took Professor McGonagall to nudge her to get her attention again, causing everyone in the Great hall to laugh softly and Grace and Tam slap their foreheads at their friends' fixation on Oliver.  
"…Silvanus, Katharine." McGonagall announced once again.  
Katie, blushing a lot now, stepped up to the stool and pulled on the hat after sitting down on the famous three-legged stool.  
She sat silent for a minute, before thinking _'Mister Sorting Hat? Sir?'_  
_'Hello there Katharine'_  
_'Sorry about making you have to write another poem just for us three…'_  
_'Quite okay. It's been ages since I've had to write two new poems in one year, gives me something to do…Anything more you want to ask me?'_  
_'I don't want to ask you to do anything extra…I just want to know which house I belong in…'_  
_'Well, you're a pure blood…that'll help you along…'_  
_'Whoa…what!?!'_ Katie asked in shock.  
_'You're a pure blood. Very late in started this year as well. You should be in Veneficus Academia at this very moment, what's your reason?'_  
Katie sat silently. _'I have no idea what you're on about…'_  
The Sorting Hat chuckled slightly. _'You had no idea you're a pure blooded witch, do you?'_  
_'Well…it would explain a lot…why I like Wiccan so much…and why my teacher caught alight when he said I wasn't good enough to be in the school musical…'_  
_'Well, now you know. It seems like all three of you are witches already, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to make a portal and travel through it now would you?'_  
_'…I guess so…I never thought of it like that…'_  
_'Well that's all sorted out. Which house do you think you belong in?'_  
_'Not Hufflepuff…not Ravenclaw, maybe Slytherin…'_  
_'What about Gryffindor?'_  
Katie giggled softly.  
_'Hmmm…do we have a love interest here?'_ The Sorting Hat asked sarcastically.  
_'Maybe…Oliver Wood's a nice piece of Man Candy…'_ Katie grinned.  
_'Well, Hufflepuff, you're not really sweet are you?'_  
_'Heck no…'_  
_'Ravenclaw…you're not really interested in skill to get something are you?'_  
_'Nope, not really.'_  
_'So Slytherin…using any means to get what you want…or Gryffindor…brave and daring to get what you want…which should it be?'_  
_'…Slytherin…my favourite house…or Gryffindor…Oliver…I don't know!!!'_  
_'Fine…I shall decide for you then…'_ The Sorting Hat fell into silence as he thought it out, and Katie bit her bottom lip as she waited for the answer.  
_'It had better be…'_  
**"GRYFFINDOR!!!"**  
Katie sighed a sigh of half relief and half of regret as she glanced at the Slytherin table before joining them at the Gryffindor table, taking Oliver's offer of sitting next to him. Professor McGonagall had removed the three-legged stool and the Sorting Hat and was returning to her chair as Dumbledore stood up. "Well, with that festivity out of the way…I should say we should tuck in before some people faint from hunger…" Dumbledore smiled as Ron Weasley blushed slightly and muttered about his hunger. "I shall leave the rest of the announcements until after dinner…but for now, welcome to our three new students, and, dig in!" Dumbledore clapped his hands and the tables were swiftly covered in trays of food. Tamara, Katie and Grace glanced at each other over the heads of the busily eating students, then gave carefree shrugs and turned to tuck in too.  
  
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At the Slytherin table, a few students sitting next to Tam got up and shifted places along the table to be closer to the Yorkshire pudding. "Close the gap, please!" a Slytherin prefect called and they picked up their plates and bunched up.  
"Sorry." Tam said as she knocked elbows with the person next to her.  
"Just watch it next time." Came the curt reply.  
Tam spun around. "Listen, you little git! Just because you're a Slytherin, it doesn't give you any right to-"  
Glaring back at her was a pale boy with blonde hair. "Yes?" Draco challenged, as Tam gaped at his, mentally kicking herself.  
"S…sorry, Draco, I didn't mean to-"  
"How do you know who I am?" he demanded.  
"Err…I don't know if you realise, but you have a very strong reputation around here."  
Draco blinked. "Do I really?"  
"Oh sure, everybody knows about you and how your family is so respected in wizarding society." Tam went on, waving her chicken drumstick in the air absent-mindedly.   
Draco listened to Tam praise him with rapt attention and only interrupted to say, "What was your name again?"  
"Tamara, but you can call me Tam."  
  
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"And you're from where?" One of the Ravenclaws who was sitting opposite Grace asked.  
"Well, Oim roigh' 'ere from England." Grace fibbed, putting on a cockney accent.  
"Nice try, Pinocchio, but Hogwart's is in Scotland." A Seventh Year scoffed, taking a sip of pumpkin juice.  
"Well, err, strictly speaking, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to-" Grace stopped to look up at Dumbledore at the teachers table, who gave her the all-knowing-approving nod.  
"Actually, I'm from Australia. I came with my friends Tamara and Katie," she pointed them out. "On a sort of supernatural, accidental road trip."  
A much younger boy, who had been listening in on the conversation, dropped his fork. "You can drive??? A car??!?!" he asked, dumbfounded.  
"No, Stewart, stop being so stupid." His friend corrected him.  
Something occurred to Grace." Stewart Ackerly, right?"  
He nodded.  
"I remember when you were sorted..." she said to herself.  
"What?" Stewart, highly confused.  
"Nothing…" Grace said knowingly, looking at the enchanted ceiling.  
  
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"…And then there's football…" Katie said. "But that's different in each country. Americans and Australians call it soccer because we have our own different football each."  
Oliver Wood was looking a little lost, so Katie patted him on the arm and said "Don't worry, all they do is kick a ball around."  
Oliver looked shocked. "One…**ONE** ball?" He asked in disbelief, horrified.  
"Yeah. But tell me more about Quidditch, it's much more interesting…" Katie said coyly.  
"Oh no…you've got him going now." A girl said bossily as she leant over to talk to Katie.  
"No one asked you, Granger, now Shhh! Oliver's about to speak!" Katie hushed.  
"Well "Well really!" Hermione said in a huff and went back to her dinner.  
  
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After everyone had been fed and watered, the students all looked up at Dumbledore expectantly.  
He stood up, and adjusted his spectacles.  
"Well, as you'll all know by now, a special event is to take place at Hogwarts. I have the pleasure in announcing that Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is to host the first Inter-School Quidditch Cup," Dumbledore smiled proudly.  
A large number of students whooped and clapped the house Quidditch team members cheering the loudest. Oliver Wood looked as if all his birthdays had come at once.  
"Yes, yes, it's very exciting and I'm sure you will all represent Hogwarts with pride to the delegations who will be arriving in a fortnight. Quite a large number of students and teachers will be coming from Beauxbatons Academy, Durmstrang Institute of Magic, and Salem's School of Sorcery. This is the first time an event of this nature has been organised, so I trust you will give your full cooperation to ensure things run smoothly. Try-outs begin in one week, and matches will start a month after the arrivals. If you have any questions, ask the team captains, they will be given further details. Now, there's another full day ahead of each of your tomorrow, so may I suggest we go back to our dormitories for a good night's sleep."   
Plates were left sparkling clean by magic as teachers stepped down from the high table, and prefects led students out into the entrance hall, everyone extremely elated and very much content.  
  
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So what so you think? Review/Flame away! 


	5. What Happened?

Welcome to the Fifth chapter! All Harry Potter characters are owned by J K Rowling. Tam belongs to Tam, one of the authors of this chapter, and Katie belongs to Katie, the other author. Grace belongs to herself. The plot belongs to Grace and Katie, and this story is still dedicated to Tam who's moved far, far away from us *sniffles* we miss you Tam!  
  
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**Chapter Five – What Happened?**  
  
  
_Katie's Diary_  
  
Okay, so it was an ordinary day this morning. I woke up, cooked myself fried chicken and noodles and dumped all my rumpled clothes in the wash. Zack came over for about ten minutes to give me my groceries, which he'd offered to collect for me that day, since my car was in for yearly inspection for the night to make sure it was still going all right. When Zack's car goes in for servicing, it's okay for him because he just borrows his parent's car. Wish I could do that…  
  
I'd invited Tam and Grace a few days ago for a sleepover; it sometimes gets boring and lonely when you live by yourself, and it's the holidays! I have a whole house with only one person in it. What's the fun in that? Most teens faint from happiness when their parents go away for the weekend, leaving them in the house. They chuck a major party, drugs, liquor everywhere…not in my house though…I'm not cleaning up after something like that. So many people say I'm lucky in a way. 'The house to yourself all the time, no one telling you what to do, you make your own rules and you live by them! That's so kewl Katie!' Or they bitch about how mean and evil their parents are always to them…  
Blehhh…well they don't know the half of it. They should be glad their parents are still alive.  
  
I'd tidied up the house a bit before they were due to come over. The house always gets a bit messy…I'm always tired when I come home from work, or school, or wherever I've been. In the shopping there'd been chips and chocolate and drinks, and we planned to order a pizza or two and garlic bread later on that night. We didn't exactly plan for this to happen…  
  
Grace arrived at about lunchtime, after her Drums lesson (We're in a band) and Tam was due to come at around 1-1:30pm after her mum got home from work to look after her adorable little sister Taylah, so Grace and I just sat around, listening to some songs download onto my computer, reading Harry Potter and figuring out what videos to hire out for the night. Now I swear, here came the weird part. Anyone who reads my diary probably won't believe it, but screw them. It happened, so if they don't believe it, that's their problem. So Grace was reading Harry Potter, and I was studying my Latin, when all of a sudden, flames appeared on my beloved copies of Harry Potter!  
It turned out, that as I'd said Biforis, Latin for Two doors/openings, Grace had said Alohomora, which, of course means open or unlock. I hadn't noticed her, and I continued my studies, saying Regnum, which means Realms…Biforis, Alohomora, Regnum, or, two doors, unlock, realms…  
The fire engulfed my Harry Potter books, and before Tam arrived they started to form the shape of a pentacle, which was just the position my books were chucked around in my room at that moment. I have a habit of pushing piles on the burn marks on my floor, which is also in the shape of a pentacle…I kinda had a small accident with fire about a year ago which caused that…oh well.  
  
Blackness engulfed us, and all I remember is feeling bags and jackets in our laps, and my hands clutching the stones that I always keep in my pockets…and the next thing we knew we were in the middle of the Ravenclaw Quidditch stands at Hogwarts! And right in front of my…guarding the goals so Slytherin couldn't score…was Oliver Wood himself…he's soooo dreamy…so sweet…he's already my friend. I can't believe what's happened! After the game Percy found us (He's just as annoying in real life as he is in the books) and he took us to see Dumbledore who's letting us stay here! At least until we figure out how to get back…  
We got sorted into different houses at dinnertime…and this is when I first met Oliver…as I stood in front of the whole school…all eyes watching Grace, Tam and I with bored…interested or scoffing expressions…to avoid their stares I set to look for Oliver, hoping he was there…because who knew? In the forth book he had left, so he might've graduated already…but to my delight there he was, sitting between Percy and…either Fred or George…I guess if Percy was still there then of course Oliver would be too. As I looked at Oliver, I realised he had already been watching me…as he caught my eye he smiled and winked, waving slightly. I think I blushed…hell, I blush when I have to collect something in front of the whole school back home…I smiled and waved back, hoping it wasn't like, a dream or something, and Oliver was actually there, winking at me.  
Tam got sorted into Slytherin, Grace got sorted into Ravenclaw, and I got sorted into Gryffindor…we all got our favourite houses! And I got to sit next to Oliver…he talked to me throughout dinner, asking where us three had come from and just normal stuff. When he heard that my parents are dead he actually rested his arm around my shoulders and half hugged me. He's even better then I imagined for him to be…he'd very obsessed with Quidditch though…  
I'll write a bit later, after more stuff's happened. At the moment I'm in my dorm, the curtains drawn around my bed. I can't remember the names of the girls I'm with…they weren't in the books that I can remember…I'll probably write in a few days, Hogwarts hosting the first International Schools Quidditch Championships. Oliver's so excited; he hopes to be on the school team. I'm sure he will be. He's offered to show me around a bit, and he'll help me in the classes, since I'm going straight to a six years class, as well is Tam. Since we just joined, we have to stay with our year level, to follow the school rules. It's going to be so hard, but I bet it'll be fun.  
  
I'd better get to sleep, I'm meeting Oliver in the Gryffindor common room before breakfast tomorrow, and I don't want to look terrible.  
  
I think I'm really going to like it here…  
  
  
  
_Tamara's Diary_  
  
I woke up this morning like usual, with my duck pyjamas. They are so cute! But anyway, I had to look after my sister for a while when my mum went out, but I was dying to go to Katie's. When she finally got home after my little sis had demolished the place, I got mum to drop me off. But at the door whoa, it was so weird. There was this bright shiny light. A portal I was told. Silly me!  
  
Then of course in a moment of blind panic I asked the number for triple zero, intelligent huh?  
  
After grabbing a few things we ended up going through the portal to Hogwarts! It was so cool; we ended up at a Quidditch match and Draco was there! How dreamy is he!  
  
To make a long story short, Percy found us, took us to Dumbledore and we got sorted. And guess what! I was sorted into Slytherin! And I met Draco! And sat next to him! Everything is so like wow.  
  
Draco's on the Quidditch team and they are holding inter-school Quidditch championships or something. I'm going to be his little cheerleader whether he likes it or not.  
  
Anyway on to other stuff, my dorm's cool, my bed's comfy and Draco's so cute.  
  
Weird I seem obsessed. Nah, I'm not obsessed. But I best go; Draco's going to help me with some potions catch up.  
  
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Review/Flame away! 


	6. Diagon Alley

Welcome to the Sixth chapter! All Harry Potter characters are owned by J K Rowling. Grace belongs to Grace, one of the authors of this chapter, and Katie belongs to Katie, the other author. Tam belongs to herself. The plot belongs to Grace and Katie, and this story is -still- dedicated to Tam who's moved far, far away from us *sniffles* we still miss you Tam!  
  
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**Chapter Six – Diagon Alley**  
  
Tam trudged up the steps that lead out of the dungeons the morning after they'd arrived in the castle. She met Grace in the Entrance Hall who was leaning against a stone pillar and rubbing her eyes tiredly.  
"Where's Katie?" Tam asked, smoothing down her morning hair.  
"I 'unno…" Grace said though a yawn. "I think she'll probably come down with Oliver though. C'mon, let's go have breakfast, I'm freezing in here."  
They walked though the double doors into the Great Hall and sat down at a table. Immediately, a student said, "Sit at your own table. Ravenclaws aren't welcome here."  
"Whoops, sorry!" Grace said, highly embarrassed, and she left to sit at the Ravenclaw table, muttering "Stupid…! Stupid!!" at herself.  
A few metres away, Tam was staring uncertainly into a bowl filled with creamy sludge.  
"It's okay." Draco smiled, sitting down next to her. "Porridge is edible."  
Tam crinkled her nose at the substance once more before pushing it in front of Draco. "Then you eat it…"  
"Err…I think I'd rather have some bacon actually." He grinned sheepishly.  
While Draco and Tam were being fickle with breakfast foods, Katie entered the Great Hall behind Oliver Wood.  
"So learning your way around? Want me to show you around a bit more before dinner" Oliver asked her as they took their seat at the Gryffindor table.  
Katie nodded gratefully. "Yeah, sure, that'd be great." Katie said thankfully. "…Uh…what's that?" she asked as they sat down, gesturing at the servings of porridge.  
"Yum! Porridge!!!" Oliver exclaimed and dished himself a full bowl. He shovelled spoonfuls into his mouth.  
_Typical boys…_ Katie thought to herself.  
"Gotta keep my strength up, good for stamina!" he managed to say though a mouthful of it. "Want some?"  
Katie made gagging noises and busied herself with pouring them both two goblets of orange juice.  
  
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"Excuse me, are you Grace?"  
Grace looked up from her breakfast to see a girl with long curly hair wearing a cloak, which had a Head Girl badge pinned to it.  
"Yes, I am…Am I in trouble?" Grace asked. "Honestly, I didn't mean to sit at the Slytherin table, it was a mistake, I swear."  
The Head Girl shook her head and smiled. "No you're not in any trouble, and don't mind the Slytherins. They're just…well...Slytherins. My name is Penelope Clearwater. I've been instructed to escort you and your two friends to Diagon Alley. Dumbledore says you three need to get some school supplies."  
"Diagon Alley?" Grace repeated, disbelievingly.  
"Yes, it's a place full of wizarding shops, and home of Gringotts Bank."  
"I know, I just can't believe we're actually going there…"  
"You know?"  
"Erm...figure of speech. I'll just go get the others…" Said Grace, changing the subject and nicking off to the Gryffindor table.  
She saw Katie and Oliver's heads over the other Gryffindor students and approached them with a hand over her eyes. "Okay you two, I'm interrupting now, so if you're doing anything embarrassing, please stop."   
Katie hit Grace on the arm. "We're just eating breakfast, you doink!"  
Grace resumed her eyesight. "Well I just came to tell you that we're going shopping."  
"Yay! Diagon Alley!" Katie said excitedly, catching on.  
At that moment, Tam came up behind them. "A Slytherin prefect called Martin told me he was taking us with Penelope and Percy!"  
Katie groaned. "Percy's coming too?" She imitated him, "This is Quality Quidditch Supplies. They sell quality Quidditch supplies."  
"Fantastic shop…absolutely wonderful…" Oliver remarked, lost in thought.  
Katie glanced sideways at him. "…We'll get you something from there if Percy let's us…"  
"C'mon, we have to get our bags and be back in five minutes, ready to go. We can't make them wait, look, Penelope's already got her cloak on." Tam said.  
  
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Five minutes later, Tam, Katie and Grace lined up attentively in front of the Head Boy and Head Girl, and the Prefect with their bags and wallets which contained their muggle money.  
"Right. McGonagall has given us permission to use the fireplace in her office." Percy said with an air of importance.  
"Fireplace…" Tam started.  
"Oh my God, we're going by Floo Powder!" Grace cried.  
"Well what did you expect, Apparition?" Percy asked snootily.  
Katie opened her mouth but then decided not to say anything in reply and closed it with a grin.  
"And no mucking about." The Slytherin Prefect, Martin, warned. "Or we'll take you for a little trip down Knockturn Alley too." He added with a sneer.  
Penelope noticed the now even more excited looks on the girl's faces and whispered to Martin "Don't give them a motive…"  
  
They walked up to Professor McGonagall's office and stood around the fireplace.  
"You first, Penny." Percy smiled and held out a bag of Floo Powder to his girlfriend.  
Martin rolled his eyes and Katie pretended to puke.  
"Go, you wild thing." Tam teased, punching Percy lightly on the arm which caused some of the Floo Powder to spill out of the bag.  
"Oh, look what you've done now." Percy sighed irritably. "Accio!" he cried, pointing his wand at the Floo Powder, which made it zoom up off the floor, and back into the small pouch.  
Penelope threw her powder into the fireplace and then stepped into the green flames that had erupted. "Diagon Alley!" she said clearly. In two blinks she had gone.  
"Gryffindor students first." Percy said and quickly gave Katie some Floo Powder before Martin could say anything.  
Katie copied Penelope's actions and the next thing she knew, she was being jerked through the warm, spinning darkness before falling out of a grate onto a stone floor.  
Penelope was there to help Katie up and muttered "Just like Percy to send a Gryffindor first."  
A few minutes later, Tam came through, then Grace.  
When Percy arrived and picked himself up out of the grate, Penelope asked "Where's Martin?!"  
"Oh, he's coming." Percy said simply. "I gave him the bag of Floo Powder before I left. Don't worry Penny, he'll be here any-" and before Percy could finish, he was pushed forward by the sudden arrival of the Slytherin.  
"Out of my way, Gryffindor." Martin smirked.  
"I'd like to remind you that not only am I a Gryffindor, I am also Head Boy." Percy said huffily, correcting the angle of his horn-rimmed glasses.  
"And I would like to remind you that I don't really care." Martin said, taking a step over to Tamara.  
"Boys…" Penelope mumbled, rolling her eyes.  
The tree younger girls stopped snickering to see where they were. They noticed a few dustbins, a brick wall on one side and a door leading into a busy pub on the other.  
"We're out the back of The Leaky Cauldron." Tam whispered to Grace who nodded eagerly.  
Percy took out his wand. "Two up, three across…" he muttered, then tapped the chosen brick three times with his wand. It shook and wiggled, then the doorway to Diagon Alley grew and widened in the brickwork in front of their eyes.  
"Right. Now we're only here for an hour or so, so we can't waste any time gawking at everything like I've seen some muggles do." Percy said and gave Tamara a small push in the back to get her to enter the cobbled street.  
  
There weren't that many people at all in Diagon Alley, seeing as it was an early Sunday morning and there was work to be done by most witches and wizards anyway. The only people there were a few wives with young children or people who were out for a quick trip to stock up on ingredients from the Apothecary, or to make withdrawals from Gringotts. In fact, that was exactly where the group was headed.  
"Gringotts wizard's bank to get your muggle money changed." Percy instructed, steering them in its direction. On the way, they passed Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, Flourish and Blotts, Eyelops' Owl Emporium and Ollivander's: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.  
They reached the snowy-white building and went up the steps to the pair of bronze doors, Katie staring at the uniformed goblin who was guarding the doors. He bowed them through and they faced the next pair of doors- silver this time. Percy let the three pause to read the worded inscription, and then they were bowed through again by another two goblins.  
  
"Over there." Percy said, pointing to a counter where a goblin sat, sorting through some papers. "Good morning, we've come to change some muggle money." Percy said to the goblin, who looked up, then moved his papers to the side of the counter and got three velvet pouches put of a drawer.  
"Pounds Stirling, sir?" the goblin asked.  
"Um." Percy looked questioningly at Tam, Katie and Grace.  
"Australian dollars." Tam informed him.  
"What's the exchange rate?" Grace asked the goblin.  
"8.76 Australian dollars per Galleon." The goblin told her.  
The three girls muttered darkly and Tam was distinctly heard saying the words "economy" and "ridiculous".  
"Come on, let's pay up." Grace sighed, taking some brightly coloured Australian notes out of her wallet and putting them on the counter.  
"Do you take commission?" Katie asked.  
"No, miss, we don't." said the goblin.  
"Well at least that's good." said Katie.  
The goblin took some Galleons, Knuts and Sickles out of the velvet pouches and swapped them for all the Australian currency.  
Then they left Gringotts, Katie stopping outside the bronze doors to blame the goblin she had stared at previously for causing the bad economy in Australia, before hurrying off after the others.  
  
"Where are we going now, Martin?" Tam asked.  
"Ollivanders. The most important thing you need at Hogwarts is a wand." He replied, stopping outside the small, dark shop.  
"Ollivander really should hire someone to dress the windows if he still isn't going to do it himself." Katie remarked, pointing to the single wand which lay on a dusty, purple cushion. They all entered the shop to a tinkle of a bell, and an extremely old man emerged from the back storeroom.  
"Good morning. How are we all today?"  
"Fine thanks, Mr. Ollivander." Percy answered for all of them. "These three need wands." He informed, pointing to Tamara, Katie and Grace.  
"Right then. Who's first?" Mr. Ollivander asked.  
"She is." The trio said, all pointing to each other.  
"Come on guys, he needs a volunteer." Penelope said. Katie and Grace took a step back, leaving Tam in front of Mr. Ollivander.  
"Excellent. This way, dear." Mr. Ollivander said, taking Tam over to a shelf piled high with boxes and boxes of wands. Mr. Ollivander got out his measuring tape which started measuring the distance between Tam's earlobe and ankle.  
"Which is your wand arm?" Mr. Ollivander asked as he selected a few boxes off a shelf.  
"Uh…my right arm." Tam answered. Mr. Ollivander brought the boxes out and piled them on a chair.  
"Actually, before you begin, if you girls give us a couple of Galleons, we'll just go and pick up your school books." Percy said. "We'll be back soon, stay here." He told them and he, Penelope and Martin left the store for Flourish and Blotts after being given money by the three.  
  
"Now, to continue where we left off," Mr. Ollivander said, "Each Ollivander wand is made with the core of either a dragon heartstring, a unicorn hair or a phoenix tail feather. You do not choose the wand, it is the wand that chooses you, and you will never get quite the same results using someone else's wand." He went on, opening one of the long rectangular boxes and handing Tam the wand inside. She looked at it- nine and a quarter inches, made of yew. "Phoenix tail feather, a bit bendy. But…no…" Mr. Ollivander said thoughtfully before snatching it away. "Try this one instead. Eleven and three quarters, maple, with a unicorn hair." Tam went to take it out of his hand, but when she'd gripped it, he didn't let go, and put it back in its box. "No, definitely, not…" He looked back at the shelf, then went over to it and picked out one more wand. He opened the box and offered it to Tamara who lifted the wand carefully out of its soft, satin bedding. "Mahogany. Unicorn hair, twelve inches, nice and swishy." Mr. Ollivander said. Tam waved it to the side and a few purple sparks shot out its end.  
"Very well done!" Mr. Ollivander cried and they could tell he was pleased with himself as well as Tam. "Okay, who's next?"  
"I'll go." Katie decided, and stepped forward.  
The magic measuring tape picked itself up off the floor and wound itself round Katie's head, then calculated the distance from her elbow to her knee.  
"Wand arm?"  
"Right arm."  
"Willow, eight inches, dragon heartstring."  
Katie held the wand, but Mr. Ollivander asked her to give it back, before pushing another one into her hand. Katie went through about fifteen wands, which left Mr. Ollivander taking a rest in a chair that had small, spindly legs. After a minute, he heaved himself to his feet again and departed into the back room.  
"What are you doing? Trying to take the old guy out or something?" Grace joked to Katie, not a moment too soon because Mr. Ollivander came back into the main room at that moment with four or so wooden wand boxes.  
"New imports! Arrived just last Friday!" he opened the lid on one of them and carefully handed the wand to Katie. "That one's ebony, thirteen inches with a phoenix tail feather. Slightly flexible. Lovely thing isn't it?"  
Katie took hold of it and a intense looking blue shine made its way up to the tip of the wand.  
"It's yours." Mr. Ollivander sighed with relief. "Very well then, that comes to fourteen Galleons, seven Galleons each wand." He said, making is way over to the counter.  
"Um… Mr. Ollivander?" said Grace meekly.  
"Yes..?" Mr. Ollivander said, looking up. "Oh dear, I'd forgotten you, hadn't I?" he said as Grace nodded, feeling ashamed for making him run around finding wands for the three of them. He came out from the behind the counter and stooped to dig around though a pile of wands at the very back of a bottom shelf. He brought out two incredibly dusty boxes. "Eleven inches, cedar, phoenix tail feather." He said, pressing it into her palm. "Try it out then." He said, and Grace gave it a wave- to which absolutely nothing happened.  
"Typical Murphy's law…" Mr. Ollivander muttered. "Should have tried the last one first. Here." He gave Grace the wand from the second box. "This one is extremely old. Ten and a half inches, cherry wood, dragon heartstring and rather nimble."  
Grace gave the wand a sharp flick and it zoomed out of her hold and skidded to a stop on the floor. "Err..?" she said, raising an eyebrow.  
"Yes, very good! It's perfectly all right, that was normal." He reassured her, heading over to the counter once more. "Seven golden Galleons each, please. That comes to a total of 21 Galleons."  
"Bloody hell, the guy's rich!" Katie whispered to Tamara, and they all put a load of silver and gold coins on the counter top.  
Percy, Marin and Penelope walked into the shop at that moment, signalled by the small tinkle from the bell. They appeared to be struggling under the pile of books they were each carrying, except for Penelope who had used her brains and had brought along her own bag. Katie, Tam and Grace thanked Mr. Ollivander for the wands, got their books off the Head Boy, Head Girl and Prefect, and left the shop.  
Next they went to the Apothecary for their basic potion ingredients, and managed to persuade Percy to let them stop off at Quality Quidditch Supplies ("Ah, Quality Quidditch Supplies! Yes, they sell wonderful quality Quidditch supplies!") where a bottle of broom handle polish was bought for Oliver Wood. Finally, when they had bought their cauldrons, telescopes and other equipment, they left Diagon Alley (much to Tam, Katie and Grace's disappointment) and ended up back in the courtyard behind The Leaky Cauldron.  
"How about a drink each before we get back to school?" Percy suggested, and of course, no one had any objections.  
  
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They took a seat each in a booth inside the pub, and Penelope ordered each of them a Butterbeer from Tom, the barman. The three girls showed off their wands proudly.  
"See, my wand is new, it only got imported on Friday." Katie told the older students.  
"Yeah, you're lucky," Grace said, wiping the dust off her very antique wand. "Your wand doesn't hate you." And she told them what had happened when it had 'chosen her'.  
Tam was inspecting her wand and declared that it looked too plain and that she was going to decorate it when they got back to Hogwarts.  
"Speaking of Hogwarts." Percy butted in. "We have to be getting back." The girls started whining and carrying on about wanting to stay a little longer, so Percy said "The sooner we get back, the sooner you three can test your wands because you're not allowed to use them outside of school grounds." In the blink of an eye, Tam, Katie and Grace were out of their chairs with their shopping laden in their arms.  
"Come on Percy, we have to be getting back!"  
"Get up, lets go!"  
Percy's facial expression was set and he said, "I know, that's what I was trying to tell you!"  
"Well you really should have said something about it, then." Grace grinned, stirring him up. Percy stood up suddenly and bustled the three back out to the walled courtyard. Clutching their new things tightly, Tamara, Katie and Grace sped back though the Floo Network, followed by Penelope, Martin and lastly this time, Percy, until their feet were planted firmly on McGonagall's office floor.  
For the rest of the day, the three girls explored the text in their schoolbooks and tried out a few simple spells.  
That night, Draco offered Tam a purple ribbon to tie around her wand, and finally, everything was ready for them to start classes the next day.  
  
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So what do you think so far? Review/Flame away! 


	7. Hoggy Warty Hogwarts

Welcome to the seventh chapter! All Harry Potter characters are owned by J K Rowling. Grace belongs to Grace, one of the authors of this fic, and Katie belongs to Katie, the other author. Tam belongs to herself. The plot belongs to Grace and Katie, and this story is still dedicated to Tam who's moved far far away from us *sniffles* we miss you Tam!  
  
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**Chapter Seven - Hoggy Warty Hogwarts**  
  
The next day at breakfast McGonagall approached the three at their tables and handed them a piece of paper each, which displayed their class timetables. Tam studied hers. Today's read:  
  
**MONDAY**  
  
**9 o'clock** - Double Potions  
**Half past 10** - Double Herbology  
**12 o'clock** - LUNCH  
**1 o'clock** - Care of Magical Creatures  
**Half past 2** - History of Magic  
  
"What've you got?" Draco asked, snatching the piece of paper. "Oh, well at least that's good. You've got Potions first up. Professor Snape is such a good teacher. He makes sure all us Slytherin pass every year. Not surprisingly, I haven't failed Potions final yet."  
At that moment, students got up as breakfast finished and started to make their way out of the Great Hall to their classes. Tamara noticed a group of Hufflepuffs who all looked like they were suffering from Mondayitis. She bumped into Oliver and Katie after waving goodbye to Grace who was on her way to Charms.  
"I've got double potions with you, Tam." Katie said, and then turned to Oliver. "What've you got now?"  
"Muggle Studies, so I have to go." He replied, rolling his eyes at the disapproving snort Tam gave when he'd named the lesson.  
"Sorry." She apologised. "We'll help you with your homework, okay?"  
"Alright." Oliver said and left Tamara and Katie to venture down the steps to the cold dungeons where Professor Snape was waiting to start his lesson.  
  
When they entered the ice-cold classroom, Tamara and Katie saw that a few Gryffindor and Slytherin students were already seated with their cauldrons and books out on the tables in front of them.  
Suddenly, their view of the classroom was blocked by a sweeping figure. Professor Severus Snape looked down his hooked nose at them, and Katie and Tam were able to get a good view of his sharp eyes, grease hair, and sallow skin.  
"You must be the new Slytherin." He said to Tamara, stepping aside. He pointed to a table on the right-hand side of the room. "There is a seat for you right there. Please take out your books and equipment to begin the lesson."  
Tam hurried off to her seat, and Snape turned back to face Katie. "As for you, Gryffindor, you're late and, therefore, expect five points to be taken off your house for the lack of respect for the punctuality Hogwarts prides itself on." And he went back to his desk, leaving Katie to talk down the rows of desks to find a spare seat while trying to avoid all the smirks the Slytherins were giving her.  
She found a spare space next to a girl from Gryffindor who leaned over and whispered "Don't worry about it, he does that all the time to us. And I'll bet my wand he made up that load about punctuality."  
  
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Four floors up and two corridors away, Grace was listening to tiny Professor Flitwick as he explained the function of the Fidelius Charm to the class.  
"The Fideluis Charm is a very complex spell," he said. "It involves the concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul. The person guarding the secret is called the Secret Keeper." He looked around the room. "Can anyone think of a time when the Fideluis Charm would have been constantly used?" Professor Flitwick asked in his little voice. A dozen or so hands went up in the air. "Um … let's see. Yes, Miss Chang?" he said, picking the Asian-looking Ravenclaw Seeker to answer.  
"Was it used in the dark times when You-Know-Who was in power?" she asked.  
"Yes, well done Miss Chang! One point to Ravenclaw."  
Grace was sitting a few seats behind Cho and tried to get a better look at one of the coolest Quidditch players in the Harry Potter books, which involved Grace leaning over on her chair, and unfortunately falling off it with a crash too. Everyone turned around and some people started laughing.  
"Dear Lord, are you alright Miss –," the professor looked through his roll book " – Miss Fowler?"  
"Oh, I'm fine, don't worry about me," Grace said, blushing furiously. "I was just looking for my pen. I mean quill. Oops, here it is! On my desk the whole time! Fancy that." And she slid back into her seat with her eyes glued to the cover of her "Standard Book of Spells" textbook.  
Professor Flitwick continued. "I'd like each of you to read up on the Fidelius Charm in your books and write a summary on it, to be handed in to me next lesson. For now, we'll practice our Sonorus and Quietus Charms until next lesson. Remember to point the wand directly at your throat, and don't go over board on the Sonorus Charm, I don't think the other teachers would appreciate our noise level interrupting their classes."  
Everyone picked up his or her wands. A real swotty boy in the front row decided to be a prat and performed the Quietus Charm on his friend. "Simon, you little git, sod off!" His friend managed to squeak out.  
  
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Back in Potions, Professor Snape was teaching the Slytherins and Gyrffindors how to brew a Diminishing Draught.  
"This potion, when used properly," he began, emphasising the second part of the sentence in the Gyrffindors direction. "Will shrink the size of an object. One drop or so on the object is enough for it to take effect, and I will remind you that it does not work on humans."  
He turned and wrote its ingredients on the blackboard and then the students began to prepare the ingredients for when it was time to add them into their cauldrons.  
  
Tamara worked swiftly away on one side of the room, picking the wings off her cicadas and dropping the wings into her standard size 2 pewter cauldron. Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the room, Katie was staring, horrified, at her pile of still winged cicadas.  
"You'd better hurry up and get a move on before Professor Snape sees you and thinks you're bludging." The girl next to Katie stated. She had already de-winged her own cicadas and was already on to sorting her boomslang skin shreds.  
"Don't…like…cicadas…" Katie shuddered, pushing them away.  
Snape's eyes scanned the classroom warningly and Katie hurried to hide her cicadas behind her Potions textbook.  
"Please, you have to help me!" she begged the girl next to her.  
"Will you crush my beetle eyes for me?" the girl asked.  
"Sure! Anything! Katie agreed and switched their cutting boards. A minute later, Katie's cauldron safely contained five or six pairs of silvery cicada wings, and Katie was free to quickly finish the Diminishing Draught before Professor Snape made his rounds between the work tables, praising Slytherin for their potions (using Tam's for a successful demonstration), and passing snide comments to the Gryffindors for their "pathetic excuses and attempts at the draught" even though their potions were the exact same shade of grey as the Slytherins.  
  
Ten minutes before the end of the lesson, Professor Snape got the students to wash out their cauldrons and pack up. Katie purposely splashed some of her Diminishing Draught over the wingless cicadas, reducing them to the size of the beetle eyes they had used, before joining Tam at the sinks to clean her cauldron.  
"Hey, what lesson have you got now?" Katie asked Tam.  
"Double Herbology with Grace and the rest of the Ravenclaws, you?" "Transfiguration with my head of house…" Katie replied, glaring over at Snape. "Oh, and Oliver." She added with a grin.  
The bell went then and they picked up their re-packed bags and walked up to the ground floor of the castle. Katie departed up the stairs to Transfiguration, saying hi to Grace who walked down the stairs to Tam.  
"How'd you go?" Tam asked Grace.  
"Pathetic." Grace replied sadly. "I could barely perform a Quietus Charm. My voice didn't go nearly as quiet as everyone else's, and then it was somehow too quiet for me to do the 'Sonorus' bit and make it louder again. But anyway, what did you guys do?" she asked as they walked outside in the direction of the greenhouses.  
"Potions was a cinch!" Tam exclaimed. "We made Diminishing Draughts and mine worked when Snape tested it!" And to prove it, she brought a miniature quill out of her bag. "Snape offered to change it back to full size with the antidote, but I said I'd rather keep it this way, as a reminder of my first Potions lesson."  
Grace grinned and let out a cough that sounded like "Suck up!".  
  
They reached the greenhouse with the other Slytherins and Ravenclaws, and they all went in as a group to find Professor Sprout as she finished watering some plants.   
"Are we all here then? Good. Gather round, gather round." She instructed and they all surrounded one of the long potting benches. "I hope you all brought your dragon hide gloves today- that's right, put them on now- because we are going to be dealing with a few types of poisonous plants today." She pointed to a pot on her left, which held a spiny purple plant that also appeared to be growing thin tendrils from its base. On Professor Sprout's right lay pots of thick, viny red plants. "This one," she pointed to her left "is a Verniolet plant, belonging to the 'Verniolet Spillindae' family, as it is scientifically called. And these red ones over here are Venomous Tentaculas. Now, today I'll be separating you into two groups. One group will work on the Verniolets, one will work on the Tentaculas."   
Tam leaned over to Grace. "Wow, this level of Herbology sounds hard." She whispered, out of Professor Sprout's hearing range. Grace nodded seriously and tightened her gloves.   
"The poison in the Venomous Tentaculas is stored in its vines." She picked one off the plant, making it recoil sharply, and cut the vine in half with a pair of shears. A thick, clear liquid resembling glue seeped out of the broken vine and into a storing bottle Professor Sprout has provided each of them. She lay the now dead vine aside, and moved to the Verniolets. "To extract the poison from these, we must first pick off a handful of its tendrils, like so, and use a mortar and pestle to crush them." She demonstrated, and after half a minute, she was left with a mushy pulp. "The poison in the Verniolet is actually in the tendril's stalk. We wash and strain out the sap, like this…and then the left over matter is stored and dried. After a month or so, it will then be a dense powder until it is crushed into a thinner substance. Any questions?"   
Grace and Tam stared, completely lost, but a few students put their hands up. Professor Sprout chose a Slytherin student who asked, "What good is any of the poison?"   
"Ah, excellent question, Mr. Pucey." Professor Sprout declared. "The poisons from both these plants are used as pesticides on wild, unmanageable weeds, and in potion making for quite a few concoctions. For more detail, I'm sure Professor Snape wouldn't mind answering your questions. Right then, if half of you wouldn't mind moving over to the other tables, I'll bring the plants over shortly."   
Tam and Grace divided from the other half of the group and were given a Venomous Tentacula to work on for the rest if the lesson.  
  
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Inside one of the many Hogwart's classrooms, Katie and Oliver Wood were copying Professor McGonagall's detailed Transfiguration notes from the blackboard. "This is so hard…" Katie muttered as she wrote down the methods of transfiguring solid objects into liquids, and even more challenging, turning solids into gases.   
"Yeah, well this is your first Transfiguration lesson, and you're not exactly starting from the basics." Oliver reasoned. At that moment, Professor McGonagall supplied them all with one small piece of marble stone. "To transfigure the rock into liquid, point your wand at it and say 'Altera fluo!'"  
Katie blinked, fiddling with her wand as she stared at the small piece of marble in front of her. Casting a glance at everyone around her who was having a go, she glanced over at Oliver who was having a good go. "Altera fluo!" he exclaimed, swishing and flicking his wand at the small stone in front of him.  
_What an accent…_ Katie thought half dreamily before she snapped out of it. _You're in class! Do your damn work!_ She snapped to herself in her mind. _Trust me to get sent through a portal to a place full of guys with British accent's…how am I supposed to concentrate?!?_  
"Have a go at it Katie, you won't break it or anything." Oliver encouraged as he tried time and time again.  
"Oh great, now you've done it. You've jinxed me and now I'm going to blow up the entire classroom…" Katie moaned, collapsing on her desk, resting her head on her textbooks.  
Oliver laughed and pulled her up again. "Oh come on. Most of us won't be able to get it by the end of the class and we've been here for seven years. You've been here for a few days and that's it. Just give it a go."  
Katie sighed. "Fine…Altera fluo!" she swished her wand at the small marble shard and blinked. "Uhh…where'd it go?" she asked, brushing her fingers over where it had been. "It disappeared…"  
"Erm…that wasn't supposed to happen…I have no idea what happened to it…" Oliver replied, as confused as Katie was. He put his piece of marble on her desk, and she tried again, but the same thing happened. She raised her hand to get Professor McGonagall's attention.   
"Professor, I've lost my marbles…No pun intended." She added firmly, as Oliver sniggered beside her. Professor McGonagall came over to her desk and sighed. "I can't keep providing more objects to you students every lesson. You'll need to be more careful with what you're given." she said, frowning down her green, rectangular rimmed spectacles.  
Katie began to protest. "But it's my first lesson! I don't know how to do much, yet!"  
Professor McGonagall seemed to consent to this, but then looked down her nose at Oliver. "Where's your stone, Wood?"  
"Please, Professor. I gave it to Katie, she lost hers…It just disappeared." He told her.  
"Well…all right, but next time keep your own supplies, Wood. And if you need help Katie, ask me first before you ask a student." And she gave them each another piece of marble. Before she went back to her desk, Katie got Professor McGonagall to help her a little, and by the end of the lesson, she was able to turn the marble into a dense liquid, though it still had tiny granules in it.  
  
Katie and Oliver went down to lunch with the other Gryffindors. When the bell went to signal the resumption of afternoon lessons, Katie rummaged through her bag for her timetable. Yanking it out, she looked at it, highly confused. She tapped Oliver on the arm while not looking away from the piece of parchment.  
"Oliver, there has to be a mistake… There's a blank space beside to the next time I should have a lesson! A blank space! What am I going to do? Where am I going to go?"  
"Look, calm down Katie… and stop tapping my arm!" Oliver said.  
"Oops…" Katie grinned sheepishly and put her hand down.  
"If there's a blank space, it just means you have a free lesson. See, there's one exactly like that on mine."  
Katie looked at his timetable and breathed a sigh of relief.  
"And did I or did I not promise that I would give you a quick flying lesson in our next free lesson?" Oliver smiled.  
"Do I just use one of the school brooms?" Katie asked apprehensively. She knew the school brooms were extremely old and therefore, not very reliable.  
"Ha! I don't THINK so!" Oliver cried. "You'll be using my Nimbus 1000. It's a bit old, but it's like a Firebolt compared to those twigs they have for brooms here."  
They picked up their bags and walked out the doors in the Entrance Hall that led to the Quidditch Pitch.  
  
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Ooooooo!!!!!! What'll happen next? Bugger if we know!!! Nahhh.actually we have a few ideas up here.*taps forehead* So be prepared! 


	8. Spethial' Quidditch Lessons

Welcome to the eighth chapter! All Harry Potter characters are owned by J K Rowling. Grace belongs to Grace, one of the authors of this fic, and Katie belongs to Katie, the other author. Tam belongs to herself. The plot belongs to Grace and Katie, and this story is still dedicated to Tam who's moved far far away from us *sniffles* we miss you Tam!  
  
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**Chapter Eight - _'Spethial'_ Quidditch Lesson**  
  
"Here, these should fit you." Oliver said, handing Katie a pair of spare Gryffindor Quidditch robes.  
They were in the Gryffindor change room and Oliver had just reached up and taken down a pair of spare robes from a high shelf. "I'll be outside, so hurry up while you get changed, Quidditch waits for no one, you know."  
  
A minute later, Katie joined Oliver outside where he was re-positioning the twigs on the end of his broom. Katie cleared her throat and Oliver looked up. "Fit okay?"  
"They're a teeny bit loose, but I'll live." She replied, mucking up some of the twigs.  
Oliver looked murderous for a second, then composed himself by breathing deeply, and hastily straightened the twigs again. "Right," he held the broom up in front of Katie's nose. "This is a broomstick. You fly on it. Now, repeat after me: Broomsticks are for flyyying… Broomsticks are for flying…"  
"I am not that stuuupid." Katie said, in the same tone Oliver had used. "So do I get to fly the thing, or what?"  
"Okay, okay, I was going to teach you that after you mastered the composition of the broomstick, the theory behind its magic, and the different makes of brooms. But we'll just move ahead, then if you want."  
He handed his prized broom over and Katie took it excitedly.  
"Right, now you mount it and kick off hard. That should get you into the air."  
Katie did as Oliver said and suddenly found herself being pulled upwards into the air. "Look at me and my bad self!" she cried, zooming around the pitch. "Oh yeah! This is what I'm talkin' about!"  
"Watch out for the stands!" Oliver yelled up to her. "You might break the broom! …And yourself!" he added hurriedly.   
Up in the air, Katie was having a wonderful time. Every so often, she would fly head on to a solid object and then swerve quickly out of the way, to Oliver's great frustration. He disappeared for a moment, came back with a wooden crate, and after a few minutes he called up to her. "Katie, I'm getting out a ball called a 'Quaffle'."  
Katie looked back down at the ground to him as he held it up to show her.  
"It's this large red one. You circle me on the broom, and I'll throw it in the air at various angels and heights. You just catch it and throw it back, got that Katie?"  
_That accent…damn I'm going to fall off if I listen to that much longer…damn he's fine!_ Katie thought dreamily.  
"Katie!!! You listening to me?" Oliver called out, snapping her out of her dream like state.  
"Course I am!" She called back. "Listening to you more carefully then you'd know…sexy…accent…damn…" she murmured a bit quieter to herself.  
"What was that?" he asked her softly as she jumped slightly. She'd hardly noticed that she'd drifted closer to him then she'd realised, and was at about shoulder level with him, only a few meters away, and had probably heard every word that she'd said.  
"Well…anyway…" Katie cleared her throat, clearly embarrassed. "Back to training…" She circled Oliver on the broom as he threw the red Quaffle away from him in all directions. A couple of catches were missed due to positioning and speed, but more often than not, Katie caught the scarlet ball. Fifteen minutes later, as Katie was anticipating another throw from Oliver; he suddenly stopped and tucked the ball under his arm. "What's going on?" she called down to him and saw he was looking at something a few metres away with a scowl. Turning her head to look in the same direction, she saw Draco Malfoy step onto the pitch, followed closely by Tam.   
"And what do you think you're doing, Malfoy?" Oliver interrogated, striding forward to meet him. Katie followed in the air and held the broom steady just above them. She shot Tam a quizzical look who shrugged in return.   
"It's not against the law to use the pitch to practise, Wood. I'm just giving Tamara here a few lessons." Draco sneered back. "On my Nimbus 2001." He added.   
"Well it's very apparent that I'm using the pitch this afternoon to show Katie a thing or two about flying." Oliver said. "You should be in class anyway."   
Draco scoffed. "Don't give me load, Wood. Obviously, if I wasn't allowed to be here, I wouldn't. Professor Snape knows I won't be joining him in class today, and Tamara doesn't mind missing Care of Magical Creatures, do you Tam?"   
Tam made a muffled noise and shook her head.   
"This'll do her more good than being stuck for an hour and half with that big lump Hagrid." said Draco, looking down with disgust at Hagrid's cabin where Tam's classmates were learning about Augury's.   
Katie reached down quite easily and smacked Draco across his pale head. He looked up at her fiercely.   
"Sorry." She said casually. "My arm slipped."   
"You just better make sure my wand doesn't slip next time, Gryffindor." He shot, smoothing his hair back.   
"She has a name, Malfoy." Wood said. "Use it next time or don't bother speaking to her at all. Now if you really must, go and use the other half of the pitch and let us be."   
"My pleasure," Draco scorned. "At least over there, we can't see your great ugly face as clearly." And he took Tam by the wrist and left Katie and Oliver. Tam waved goodbye, and Katie returned the wave before Oliver continued to throw the Quaffle for Katie again, only this time, Katie noticed he flung it with much more force. She caught it and instead if returning it to him, she chucked it at Malfoy's retreating back and it hit the back of his head. Hard. He spun around, pulled out his wand, pointed it furiously at Katie and used a hurling hex. The broom bucked wildly and tossed Katie off with a jerk causing her fall four metres to the ground and hit it with a sickening thud.  
"Serves you right, Gryffindor!" Draco yelled as Tam and Oliver rushed to Katie's side.  
"Katie?!?" Tam asked, shaking her fallen friend.  
"Don't move her! She might've fractured her spine!" Oliver exclaimed worriedly, exaggerating as always.  
Katie stirred slightly, murmuring as she fidgeted.  
"…damn Oliver's 'dorable…" she clearly stated suddenly in a mist of muffled murmurings.  
Oliver blushed and looked away, pretending to make sure Draco wasn't destroying his broom which had skirted to the ground several meters away, while Tam giggled and tried again to rouse her friend.  
"Tamara!" Draco called, starting to walk over, his green robes catching around his legs. He always wore his Slytherin Quidditch robes to show off that he was, in fact, on the team.  
Tam looked up. "You knocked out my friend!"  
Draco rolled his eyes. "Mudblood deserved it."  
"She's a pure blood Malfoy, not that it makes any difference anyway." Oliver replied angrily.  
Tam glared up at Draco. "So you still think that blood makes the diversity?" she asked, her voice betraying her and showing some hurt.  
"Hey...? Wait, no. No Tam…" he immediately stepped closer to her, reaching out. "C'mere …" he said softly, pulling her close. It would have been a nice moment, but then Tam tripped on Draco's fallen broom. Then it was a nice moment again, because, to both their pleasure, she fell into his arms. "I don't care about whatever blood you have Tam…all that matters to me is…you…" Draco said softly, brushing her hair out of her face tenderly as he continued to hold her gently.  
Tam blushed as her sea green eyes gazed into his deep blue windows into his true self, and their lips met, sealing their relationship. Oliver slightly raised an eyebrow and looked away. "Accio broom…" he commanded quietly, bringing his broom to his side, and then he looked down at Katie again, shaking her gently.  
"C'mon Katie, wake up…" he spoke, still quiet as Draco and Tam continued to be…intimate…  
Katie slightly stirred again, and then slowly opened her eyes.  
"…Mmmm…Hi Oliver…" she smiled sleepily, as if she'd just woken up. "What happene-…oh my god…!" Katie exclaimed as she saw Draco and Tamara. "Wooooo! Go Tamara!!!"  
Even Katie's voice didn't separate them.  
"Draco hexed my broom and it flipped you off…you hit the ground pretty hard…you were unconscious for a while…" Oliver described. "You look fine though…don't think any lasting damage has happened…" he added, running his fingers over the back of her head gently, checking for bumps or cuts, making Katie blush again.  
"And I guess I said stuff while I was out of it…?" she asked, glancing over at Draco and Tam, who'd finally finishing their tongue locking, and were now gazing dreamily into each others eyes.  
"Uhhh…yeah…how'd you know?" Oliver inquired.  
Katie shrugged, struggling to sit up, and only managing to do so after Oliver pulled her up gently and moved her to rest against him.  
"I always do when I get knocked out…it's happened a few times before…and I'm always a bit weak for a while after too…sorry…" Katie said hesitantly.  
"Hey…it's alright…" Oliver answered awkwardly, resting his hand on her shoulder. Katie looked up at Tam again to see her walking off with Draco to the other side of the pitch, hand in hand, Draco giving her half shy, half blissful glances every so often.  
"My broom is okay…so it's all good…" Oliver added.  
Katie chuckled. "Is Quidditch the _only_ thing you think about Oliver?" she asked in amusement, her golden brown eyes searching his own as if for the answer.  
"Well…no…" he relied delicately, as if tip toeing around something fragile. He glanced around them uncertainly, checking where everything was. Broom was still by his side. Quaffle was a few feet away but still close enough. Box full of other Quidditch stuff was now with Tamara and Draco, who was holding each ball up to her, smiling, his hand over her own as he placed them each in her hands.  
"So what else do you like then…?" Katie asked softly, her Australian accent making him snap out of his contemplation.  
He looked back down at her, her blonde streaked brunette hair half up half down over the collar of the spare Gryffindor Quidditch robes, her inquisitive eyes watching his carefully, her lips arched into a small bright, half teasing smile as she watched him in depth.  
"Because…I well…I like you…quite a bit…if I haven't made it obvious enough already…" Katie added almost inaudibly, as she blushed deeply, her eyes now on the soft-as-velvet looking bluey-black jumper Oliver was wearing at the moment.  
"I noticed…" Oliver laughed quietly, as he rearranged his arms around her, hugging her thoughtfully before resting his forehead against the side of her head fondly.  
"And…just so you know…I like you too…" he told her softly, kissing her forehead gently as he smiled an affectionate smile.  
  
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Draco brushed some hair out of Tam's eyes and smiled devilishly. "Are you up to date with all your homework? Or do you need some help? Because after this we could have a study session…study date?"  
Tam smiled, looking amused. "Like…as a date maybe?"  
"Sure. Anywhere you want, no interruptions. We'll get your homework out of the way, and then we've got the rest of the night to do what we like." Draco promised, his mind already working at what treats he could get out of the easily manipulated house elves in the kitchens. They didn't even have to be manipulated. Whenever he walked in there he was always pilled down with his favourite cakes and savoury snacks.  
"That sounds marvellous Draco…" Tam smiled as his fingers interweaved with hers gently.  
Draco smiled back, fixing the Golden Snitch back into the case.  
"Want to go back now then? Your little friend and Quidditch-obsessed-Wood might want to use the equipment." He asked, gesturing over at Oliver and Katie.  
Tam glanced over at them, hiding a snicker as she saw Oliver kiss her friend gently, knowing how much Katie adored him.  
"Sure. Where are we going to study though?" Tam asked as Draco picked up the Quidditch equipment case in one hand, and takes hers in his other.  
"You're choice my sweet. But I'd suggest my dorm or yours…" he grinned his sexy devilish good smile again as they started their walk back to Oliver and Katie.  
Tam squeezed his hand lightly. "Even though it's not allowed?"  
"That's what makes it fun! Oh and…the whole _being_ with you of course…" Draco blushed slightly as he messed up his words.  
"Oh yeah, sure, sure." Tam teased, making her voice sound hurt.  
Draco paused slightly to gently kick the Quaffle closer to Oliver's broom, and placed the Quidditch case next to it, too wrapped up in his newfound devotion to bother with being a nuisance.  
"You know I didn't mean it like that pet…you know what I meant, right?" he asked sweetly, trying to win her over with his charm.  
She poked him. "So you just want to break the rules by being in my dorm or taking me to yours. You don't want to help me with my homework at all!" Tam accused, still smiling in her mind as she teased him good naturally.  
"Of course I don't…I only want to do this…" Draco trailed off as he pulled Tam into another soul melting kiss.  
After a few seconds that seemed like heaven to Tam, she heard "Oh take it inside or at least out of eyeshot you two!!!" from a voice that sounded suspiciously like Katie's.  
Tam and Draco parted grudgingly to glare at her.  
"Rule 14 Tam!" Katie reminded her of their old school's rules. (And we state, _Rule 14: Intimate physical contact between students is not acceptable within the school environment or whilst in the school's uniform._ It's only the rule that gets broken the most.)  
"Like you can talk!" Tam retorted, using her hand that was merged with Draco's to point at Katie still resting in Oliver's embrace, making both of them blush slightly.  
"Yeah Katie! Like we can talk!" Oliver poked her before matching his lips with hers gently with affection.  
Tam sighed with a grin as she turned back to Draco. "Want to continue your…uhmm…homework…in my dorm? No one else will be there, since they're still in classes…" Draco offered.  
"Sounds good to me." Tam replied cheerfully, and they both departed the Quidditch Pitch to make their way to the Slytherin Dorms.  
  
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So what do you think so far? Review/Flame away! 


	9. Diary Entries and Homework

Welcome to the ninth chapter! All Harry Potter characters are owned by J K Rowling. Grace belongs to Grace, one of the authors of this fic, and Katie belongs to Katie, the other author. Tam belongs to herself. The plot belongs to Grace and Katie, and this story is still dedicated to Tam who's moved far far away from us *sniffles* we miss you Tam!  
  
Find it in your hearts to review our story! We see some really lame boring and stupid stories, like, two chapters long and they already have 40 reviews! *sniffles* it makes us sad!  
  
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**Chapter Nine – Hogsmeade Visit**  
  
"How was class?" Grace asked Tam and Katie brightly as she ran to catch up with them on the way into the Great Hall for dinner.  
Tam coughed nervously and Katie went bright red.  
"Oh, that's right, you had a free lesson, didn't you?" Grace asked Katie. "What did you do for an hour and a half?"  
"What's with all the questions?!" Katie cried.  
"Yeah, what is this, the bloody Spanish Inquisition?!" Tam added.  
"Sorry…just asking…" Grace stammered.  
"Come on, we can't stand around here all day, people keep getting pushed into me." Tam said, as a Gryffindor girl accidentally walked into her.  
"Sorry." The girl said.  
"Hurry up, Ellie!" her friend called to her, and Katie recognised her as the girl who'd helped her in Potions earlier that day. They made their way into the Great Hall and split up to go to their different House Tables, which were surprisingly bare of any food. A few people looked questioningly up at the high table where the teachers were sitting. Professor Dumbledore stood up.  
"Just a quick announcement." he said. "I remind you that in less than two weeks, the delegations will be arriving. In honour of the competition, there will be a small get together here in the Great Hall the night after their arrival. There will be dancing and music and it'll be a time for all of us to relax and have a good time. Please dress smartly, dress robes are recommended. In light of this, a Hogsmeade visit has been scheduled for this weekend. Anyone who'd like to buy some dress robes can buy them then. That's all, you may eat now." He sat down and food appeared on the tables.  
"'Bout bloody time…" George Weasley muttered on Katie's left, as a plate of pork chops sprang up from the kitchens below.  
  
After dinner there was homework to be done, so Tamara, Katie and Grace left to go to their common rooms. On the way down to the Slytherin common room, Tam overheard some students behind her complaining about their amount of homework.  
"They keep piling work on us!" one of them whined.  
"Yeah!" another agreed. "How do they expect us to keep up?! Just because Binns hasn't got a social life…"  
Tam turned around to face them. "Actually, Professor Binns doesn't have a life at all." She said. "So you know what you should do then? Get yourself a study buddy and have a study session." And she turned back around and walked ahead with Draco who was hiding a knowing smirk.  
"Well! Someone's a little too happy about homework." The first student grumbled.  
  
Tam entered the cold Slytherin common room with Draco and they flopped down on one of the dark leather couches. A few green lamps hung from the stone ceiling, giving the room an eerie emerald glow. Draco's cronies Crabbe and Goyle came over after a while. It looked as though they had brought back some spare bread rolls from dinner. Tam courteously listened to them talk, but was mostly looking absentmindedly across the room at the green draped backed walls, and then Draco excused them both, explaining that they needed to study.  
  
After a few hours of 'studying', Tam went to her own dorm, and wrote in her diary.  
  
**_Tamara's Diary_**  
  
Hogwart's is cooler then it is in the books! And I love it here. Potion's is favourite class. Snape is so cool! And for once I am up to date with homework, but that's only cause Draco helped me.  
  
You see tonight we had a study date, and believe it or not we did study! But it wasn't all study, if you know what I mean. Did I mention how cool his dorm is? It is so cool!  
  
Draco can be a bit scary though, especially when he's mean to Katie and stuff. I probably should have a talk to him or something, but I don't know what to say.  
  
The bed's here are so comfy! I'm currently writing from my bed, cause it's night and stuff.  
I can't remember what classes I have tomorrow, but I do hope they are fun.  
  
Anyway's I should sleep, should being the operative word. I'll probably just think of Draco and homework stuff for a while.  
Can't wait for breakfast.  
  
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After dinner Oliver and Katie walked up to the common room with Fred, George, Angelina, Katie Bell and Alicia, all talking about the up-coming Quidditch try-outs for the Hogwarts team. Alicia didn't want to try out for a place on the team, she only wanted to be part of the 'Helping group', who got to run messages from person to person, fly out onto the pitch and give the players food and drink if the game went for hours on end.  
"That sounds like a good idea…you'd be part of the team…but don't have to risk getting your head knocked in by a bludger…" Katie said thoughtfully.  
"Come be a helper with me then!" Alicia exclaimed. "We get to wear silver and black robes, and there's fourteen helpers chosen from each school, kinda like two for every player on the field." Katie grinned, "I think I will…"  
Fred and George were shaking their heads.  
"Awwwww…but Ali, you've got to try out! We need as many Gryffindors on the team as we can! Otherwise Slytherin'll dominate and you know how they get when they think they're better then us!" Angelina protested.  
"Alicia, I want you to try out." Oliver commanded. "As the Gryffindor Quidditch captain it would make sense for me to make sure my whole team makes it on the team. We're the best of the school, we can all make it. And we will." He added, looking at Alicia pointedly.  
Alicia rolled her eyes. "Katie, sort out your boyfriend for me…if he wants to keep his face looking the way it is…"  
Fred and George laughed as Oliver blushed as Katie poked him gently in the ribs.  
"Oliver…let her do what she wants…" Katie implored, trying to sound sweet and cute at the same time.  
Oliver glanced at her and sighed before nodding.  
"Okay…sorry Alicia…"  
"Oooooo Oliver finally found someone more important then Quidditch!" Fred exclaimed.  
"Can you believe it Fred!?! She's can control him even over Quidditch!" George exclaimed back.  
"So what's so special about her Oliver?"  
"Quit it you two." Oliver demanded, keeping his fingers entangled with Katie's as all the girls laughed.   
They walked into the common room, and all split up. The twins going to speak with Lee Jordan, Angelina, Alicia and Katie Bell went to discuss tactics to get on the Hogwarts team, and Oliver and Katie shared one armchair together in front of the fire to do their homework like everyone was supposed to.  
  
They sat there for a bit longer then two hours, talking as they did their homework together, Oliver helping Katie with her transfiguration which she didn't really get yet.  
  
Katie threw her quill down on her parchment and sighed, resting her head in her hands.  
"What's the matter Kats?" Oliver asked, poking her gently.  
"I don't get Transfiguration…" Katie wailed softly.  
Oliver chucked slightly. "You've been here three or so days, and you expect yourself to understand six years of Transfiguration after just one lesson?"  
"States everything in the Harry Potter books…" Katie mumbled.  
Oliver looked confused. "…What?"  
Katie paused slightly, deeply wanting to explain everything about the real Harry Potter books by J K Rowling to him…but she knew she couldn't.  
She sighed. "Don't worry…" Katie murmured, resting her head against his shoulder, closing up her parchment in her Advanced Guide to Transfiguration.  
Oliver dismissed her slightly confusing murmurings about his Seeker and resting his arm around her shoulders reassuringly, squeezing her hand gently as her fingers found his.  
"Don't worry about it…you're doing okay for someone's third day. No one's going to get annoyed or upset with you…so what's the problem?" he asked her softly, resting his head against her's.  
"I just want to be able to do magic so badly…being so close to it…yet so far is irritating…" she answered softly.  
"Katie…Kats…just chill. You've only just started here, you're not expected to be able to do great things straight away…it always takes people a few weeks…and you did superbly in your Quidditch lesson today…" Oliver reassured her.  
Katie paused thoughtfully. "…I did?"  
Oliver chuckled, resting his hand under her chin as he kissed her gently. "You did very well…" he winked at her flirtingly, so she got the picture. Katie poked him, laughing as they both reminisced their forth lesson.  
  
As it got colder, Oliver wrapped his robe around them both, since Katie was used to the Australian heat and not the Scottish colder temperatures. She rested against his soft blue jumper that he hadn't changed out of since the Quidditch lessons, which she loved already, and he didn't seam to mind having her there!  
  
After a drawn out saying goodnight to Oliver, Katie sneaked to her dorm and pulled the drapes around her bed so the light from her wand wouldn't annoy any of her dorm mates. She got out her diary, and started to write.  
  
  
**_Katie's Diary_**  
  
I said in my last entry 'I think I'm really going to like it here…'  
Well I was totally right.  
  
I'm on cloud nine or whatever muggles call it. I'm even starting to refer to them as muggles now…since I know that Tam, Grace and I aren't them anymore…  
This is wonderful! More then that…terrific! Oliver's so dreamy…  
  
I had my first free lesson today…and as Oliver promised, he took me out for a private Quidditch lesson. We were just getting started when Draco and Tam came on the pitch as well. Draco and Oliver argued over who got the pitch, but in the end they agreed to stay on separate halves. I didn't like Draco's tone against us, so, being the little pagan I am, threw the Quaffle at the back of his head as hard as I could. It was to vent my anger! Better then going against the rules and hexing him.  
I should've realised that Draco was not one for rules himself, and he hexed the broom, making it buck me off. When I hit the ground, I was knocked unconscious, and when I woke up again, you'd probably never guess what I saw!  
Tam and Draco totally pashing their lips out!  
I was like 'Whoaaa!!! Bet she's enjoying that!' because she's had a thing for him ever since she first saw him.  
  
I'll get onto the good parts…well, in my mind the good parts anyway. I'm grinning at the moment by the way. So I regained consciousness, but, like I always am after getting knocked out, I hardly had enough strength to sit up, so Oliver wrapped his arms around me and helped me sit up, moving slightly to sit behind me so I could rest against him. I'd let myself get knocked out again if it meant I got to rest my head against his shoulder, with his arm gently around my shoulder. His jumper was really soft as well…  
And he said he liked me! And we kissed and cuddled and everything…Oliver Wood, likes me! Katie Silvanus! It's almost 11 at night, and it's only Monday. Still have a whole week of school, so I should get to sleep again…but I'm so happy. I'd never have guessed that I'm writing this in my dorm, after just eating dinner by Oliver's side, tenderly holding hands, then going to the Gryffindor common room and sitting in his lap in front of the fire with his robe around us both. He's so amazing…  
I wonder how Tam and Draco are doing…  
  
Grace gave us the weirdest look at dinner. I think Tam and I reacted too harshly after she practically drilled us with questions of what we'd each done in our lesson after lunch. She probably doesn't wanna know the answers anyway.  
  
I'm just so unbelievably ecstatic with Oliver…he's so sweet…so loving…I can't believe he actually likes me in return. I was happy enough just being his friend! Actually being here, close enough to touch his arm or talk to him, listen to his accent was enough for me…I thought I was going to stay here, and just keep it at that, and then go back home to Australia, and think about how lucky I was to actually meet him…  
  
But now we're actually dating!  
  
I'm so lucky to be with him…  
  
I'll write more later, the try-outs for the Hogwarts Quidditch team are soon, and this weekend is my first ever trip to Hogsmeade! I have to buy some dress robes, because when the other teams get here, we're having a dance to welcome them.  
It's a get together, just to meet everyone, but it means dress robes, and it probably means dancing.  
  
I hope Oliver and I go together…  
  
I'll update on what's going on between him and I later, but right now, I need some sleep so I don't look totally dead tomorrow.  
  
  
Katie signed the page in her diary with a flourish, closed it and stuck it under her pillow, dropping the quill on her bedside table, and setting the ink bottle down gently, before whispering Nox to her wand to extinguish the light. She snuggled down in her bed, happily dreaming of Oliver.  
  
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Grace dragged herself up to the third floor with some other Ravenclaws, took a few turns down some hallways, and stopped in front of a statue of a knight.  
"Password?" it asked, its visor clanging down loudly.  
"Hodgepodge" Grace said, and it stepped shakily to the side, revealing a secret passageway. She walked forward into it, and the knight stepped back into place, blocking out most of the light. About three metres on, she came to the end of the passageway, to a wooden door. She lifted the rusty handle and pulled it open, stepping into the Ravenclaw common room.  
  
It was a large room with quite a few polished wooden circular tables with royal blue overstuffed armchairs by a large heating grate. Wooden chairs with blue tightly upholstered cushions sewn into the seat were tucked neatly under the tables, which also had patterns of eagle feathers carved down the legs. There were two grand bookcases in the common room full of theory textbooks, and some Witch Weekly magazines and earlier editions of the Daily Prophet were stacked in piles on the most bottom shelves. In the day, the common room's windows usually filtered in a lot of sunlight, but at this time of night, the moon's light shone thorough instead, illuminating the corridors leading to the boys and girls dormitories. The boy's dorms were on one side of the room, the girl's on the other.  
  
Grace went into her dorm, took her books, a few rolls of parchment, a quill and a bottle of ink out of her bag and went back into the common room to get her homework finished. She sat down at a table, spread everything out in front of her and got started on her Runes homework, interpreting the symbols, and writing out their predictions. After two hours or so, most of the students got up and left to go to bed. About another hour later, just as Grace was starting on her Arithmancy homework, Penelope Clearwater stood up from her armchair where she had been reading. "Lights out, everybody, come on!"  
  
Grace looked up in a panic. She hadn't finished all her homework yet, how did they expect her to hand it in tomorrow?! She wasn't used to going to Hogwarts, so it took longer for her, plus she pretty much sucked in class. Not to mention the amount of homework they were given… Grace sighed, left everything on the table, went up to her dorm, waited for about another half hour, and then crept back out to the common room and sat there 'til the early hours of the morning when she finally finished and went to bed again. Once or twice during the night, she woke up after having nightmares about being internally suspended because her class work wasn't good enough, but by the time she woke up the next morning and went down to breakfast, she didn't remember the dreams at all.  
  
  
  
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So really, what do you think about it? Should we continue? Review/Flame us! 


	10. Hogsmeade Visit

Welcome to the tenth chapter! All Harry Potter characters are owned by J K Rowling. Grace belongs to Grace, one of the authors of this fic, and Katie belongs to Katie, the other author. Tam belongs to herself. The plot belongs to Grace and Katie, and this story is still dedicated to Tam who's moved far far away from us *sniffles* we miss you Tam!  
  
Find it in your hearts to review our story! We see some really lame boring and stupid stories, like, two chapters long and they already have 40 reviews! *sniffles* it makes us sad!  
  


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**Chapter Ten – Hogsmeade Visit**  
  
The next few days passed with the Hogwarts Quidditch Team trials getting closer and closer. Oliver could be seen drowning his team in practise after practise, driving the team so crazy that Katie (Who watched every practise happily) was the only one who'd talk to him willingly at night in the common room.  
Madame Hooch was in content conversation with Dumbledore and in communication with the head of International Sports, as they made sure everything was in order, and Hagrid fixed the Quidditch pitch to the best it could ever be.  
Draco was looking defiantly smug as his father sent him a new broom. Not exactly a Firebolt, but just as good, a SilverDagger _(It cuts through the air like cheese!)_ and he strutted around the school, only letting Tam touch it, and no one else. He was very proud of his broom - metal tipped with the words SilverDagger etched into the handle in dark red stone. Draco was seen in the corridors, frequently jeering at Harry Potter who kept trying to shrug him off.  
"Not feeling so confident now, are you, Potter?" he'd sneer, making a point of showing off his broom by leaning against it leisurely.  
"Rack off, Malfoy." Ron would retort, and Hermione would briskly shove Harry and Ron off in the other direction. "…Thinks he's so hot with that broom of his…" Harry would mutter as they walked away.  
"He's just trying to pick a fight with you." Hermione said, highly annoyed.  
"Stupid prat couldn't even catch the Snitch if his dad bribed Dumbledore…"  
  


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On the Saturday morning of the Hogsmeade visit, Tam was bouncing excitedly around the Slytherin common room. Draco came out from the boy's dormitories, yawning. Tam tackled him immediately.  
"SHOPPING!!!" she cried in his face.  
"AAAUUUGGGHHH!!!" Draco yelled, now wide awake.  
"Hurry up, Sleepy Head!" Tam said and dragged him up to the Great Hall.  
In the Gryffindor common room, Oliver was doubled over in an armchair.  
"What's wrong, Oliver?" Katie asked, coming down the stairs.  
No reply.  
"Oliver?…**OLIVER?!**……Oliver..?"  
She checked that he was breathing and when he suddenly made a snuffling noise, she sighed with relief.  
"Don't scare me like that! Now, what's wrong?"  
Oliver straightened up then sprawled out sideways over each armrest, pulling Katie into his lap.  
"They post the list of players who made the team tomorrow…" he moaned worriedly.  
"Don't worry…you'll do fine!" Katie promised. "Stop making yourself sick about it, of **course** you'll make the team! Now come on, you have to have some food in you, we have a full day of shopping today!"  
Oliver groaned again, but didn't protest as Katie lead him to breakfast.  
  


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After breakfast, those who needed to go to Hogsmeade (which was about a quarter of the school) congregated in the Entrance Hall, along with those who just wanted to go to Hogsmeade for the heck of it. That bumped it up to nearly the whole student population.  
"The shops are gonna be cashing it in today!" The Gryffindor girl, Ellie said to one of her friends.  
Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick stood in front of the large double doors, which were open, displaying the stone steps that lead to the path to Hogsmeade.  
  
Once the school had walked to the wizarding village, everyone split up in the different directions of shops. Draco pulled Tam into Dervish and Banges to inspect the different types of wizarding equipment, while Katie wanted to get a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks first. Later, Draco took Tam into Zonko's Joke shop. They stepped inside and were nearly bumped back out again. The shop was full of students teeming down the aisles and blocking the counter. A group of fourth years were testing a large amount of laughing powder behind a shelf, and their frequent giggles seemed to be severely irritating the young wizard behind the counter. Tam and Draco found Crabbe and Goyle staring closely at what appeared to be a normal set of teacups. Just then, one leapt up and crunched down hard on Crabbe's nose.  
"Tsk, tsk, Crabbe. You'll want to learn how to read soon." Draco smirked, jabbing a thumb at a small sign under the cups that read _'Nose-biting teacups. 3 Sickles each.'_ "I think I'll buy one…" Draco decided, noticing that Tam was doubled over in laughter from the situation. They struggled through the crowds and went to the counter to pay for the purchase.  
  


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In the Three Broomsticks, Oliver and Katie had secured themselves two stools at the bar. Katie was swirling her drink around in her glass as she watched murderously as Oliver stared at Madam Rosmerta with rapt attention.  
Finally, Katie had enough and she poked Oliver.  
Hard.  
In the ribs.  
"Ouch!! Jeez, Katie…what was that for?" Oliver asked, rubbing his ribs in pain.  
"Nice to hear you voice directed at me again Oliver! I'm surprised you still remember my name." Katie glared.  
"…What?!!?"  
"Didn't think you'd notice anything, I'll leave you here to drool and go shopping myself. Ta-ta." Katie stood up and stalked out of the pub.  
  


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Tam lead Draco to Gladrag's Wizard Wear and found it nearly as crowded as Zonko's. They queued up in a line as two middle-aged witches busily measured and served as many students at a time as was humanly possible. When Tam and Draco got to the head of the line, they were jerkily grabbed by the witches and placed upon two stands. Magical tape measures zoomed around and wound themselves in such a flurry that Tam could barely see the witch who was assisting her.  
"What colour would you like, dear?" the witch asked, and Tam barely needed any time to think of an answer.  
"Purple, please!" she said as Draco was choosing between a selection of black robes beside her. The measuring tapes fell to the floor as the witch disappeared to look for purple dress robes in Tam's size. She came back, struggling under a pile of dress robes and Tam stepped down from the stand to help her sort through them. She eventually picked some dark Indigo coloured robes, and she and Draco went to pay for it and Draco's black velvet dress robes, which had a weird collar thing. The line of students surged forward with another two people getting served, and Tam and Draco were thankful to be able to finally leave the shop.  
They bumped into Katie as they walked out the door, who was still alone and looking half upset, half irritated. She didn't even look at who she bumped into, just joined the line, pulling a book out of her bag and she stood reading.  
"What's with your friend?" Draco asked.  
"…I really don't know…" Tam answered worriedly. "I won't be able to get a real answer from her yet…she still looks fresh in her anger…I'll talk to her about it next time we see her…"  
Draco nodded. "Want an ice-cream?" he asked.  
"Sure!" Tam agreed and they walked off with their precious dress robes wrapped in their packages.  
  


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Grace was one of the first students to be served at Gladrag's Wizard Wear, since she didn't have to wait for any guys to get ready. After she got her robes a beautiful set of robes, different shades of blue and silver woven together with silver stitching, she set off to have a look at the products in Honeyduke's.  
There, she bought several fragile sugar quills and three or four acid pops. She was inspecting a display of butterscotch squares when somebody said, "Excuse me," and tapped her on the shoulder. Turning around, Grace saw Oliver Wood lowering his hand and looking around nervously.  
"Um, you're one of Katie's friends, aren't you?" he asked  
"Yes…" Grace said, not being able to help feeling a little suspicious. "What can I do for you, Oliver?"  
"I need some advice-"  
"What have you done?" Grace cut in.  
"What-? Who said I did anything!" Oliver cried defensively. Grace raised an eyebrow at him and he sighed and looked at the ground. 'Well…I think it was…Madam Rosmerta was behind the bar and…"  
"Katie's pissed, huh?"  
"Yeah."  
"So let's think…" Grace continued. "What can you do to make it up to her?"  
"Lend her Quidditch robes?" Oliver asked hopefully.   
Grace gave him a look. "Um…maybe later. How's that broom polish working, by the way?"  
"Oh yeah, it's doing wonders to the wood, but it still doesn't look as good as a Firebolt's handle."  
"Do you like the Twigger 90 models?"  
"Um… Great luxury brooms, but I wouldn't rely on one in a Quidditch match." Oliver replied.  
"Yeah, but maybe the Ministry of Magic should look into supplying them as a slow mode of transport for the next Quidditch World Cup." Grace suggested. "But anyway, back to work- how else can you think of making it up to your girlfriend?"  
Oliver thought for a moment. He looked around at the fully stocked shelves in the store and then suddenly looked as though a light bulb had clicked on over his head. "How about I buy her candy?"  
"Good idea," Grace laughed. "And then maybe you can go up past the Shrieking Shack and frolic in the meadow before picking some wildflowers! Or…you could just say sorry, huh?"  
"I tried that already!" Oliver protested.  
"You were picking wildflowers?" Grace asked sceptically.  
"Nooooo, I tried saying sorry."  
"She must have been really ticked off then though. If you tried again, you might get through"  
"Like a Fellytone? We learnt about them yesterday you know."  
"You mean a telephone? Sure…like a telephone…"  
"Oh yeah, _telephone_. Well, I'm going to get Katie some candy anyway." Oliver decided, looking at the butterscotch with more interest.  
"Okay, try some blood lollipops." Grace suggested. "Katie likes vampire things, so even if she didn't actually eat them, which would be a smart move, she could still keep them as a souvenir."  
Oliver's face fell. "…Oh. I didn't even think about it. You girls are going to have to go back sooner or later, aren't you?"  
Grace nodded grimly. "I'm afraid so. Dumbledore's been really nice to let us stay here like this, but there's no doubt he wants to get us back home where we belong…To our world." She sighed.  
"The Muggle world." Oliver clarified.  
"Oh. Yes, of course." Grace said, pretending to correct herself. "The Muggle world."  
"But…" Oliver began, "If you're witches… wouldn't here in the magical world be your home?"  
Grace gave a sad smile and shook her head. "It's a little more complicated than that… Anyway, go on then, Wood! Get your candy and get your butt out of here to find your girlfriend! Mush!" Grace ordered, and herded him over to the counter where there sat cardboard boxes full of assorted candy, including one box of the special vampire sweets.  
Leaving Oliver on his mission, she left the shop. Strangely, the door opened on its own accord before she could grasp to the handle to put it open. And just as strangely, her shoulder knocked into something solid just outside the door, even though there was nothing visible in her way. The thin air beside her let out an irritated "Ouch!" A pair of round glasses fell out of nowhere, scattering to a stop on the shop's floor, then a hand followed suit, picked them up and they both disappeared back into nowhere again.  
"You'd better hope no one saw that." The bossy voice of Hermione Granger said to no one Grace could see. Ron Weasley followed behind, carefully counting the small pile of silver and bronze in his palm. With her bag of sweets and a grin, Grace made her way to Dervish and Banges.  
"It's not my fault, people keep walking into me!"  
  


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Tam and Draco had finished their ice cream, and, after a few rounds around Hogsmeade, were walking hand in hand back to Hogwarts. Draco had planned a short Quidditch session, followed by a _Homework_ session, (Even though they had finished their homework straight after classes, so they'd have free time for their study sessions, if you get what I mean *wink wink*) followed by joining everyone else for dinner.  
Simple, but gratifying.  
Tam rested her head on Draco's shoulder as they walked, and sighed happily.  
Draco smiled and kissed her forehead, swapping his hands around, so his left was free to stroke her hair, and his right hold her hand. They continued walking in comfortable silence, both thinking their own similar thoughts.  
_'This was the life…'_  
  


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Katie got her robes of green velvet with black thread stitched into the fabric, creating intricate designs. They were tight fitting with long sleeves, lined with black velvet underneath, and had a flowing skirt. Katie had strayed away from the glittery, silk, satin and jewelled robes, unlike the other girls, and stayed with what she felt comfortable with. Robes with a Wiccan feel to them.  
Katie walked out onto the streets again with her dress robes wrapped and safely stowed away in her school bag, and she walked into The Three Broomsticks, casting a quick glance around, making sure Oliver wasn't still there, before ordering a bottle of Butterbeer from a man, not Madam Rosmerta.  
She walked down the path that lead to Hogwarts, and, not wanting to return just yet, sat by a tree and pulled out the same book she had been reading before, Death of Despair by Christopher Pike.  
She wrapped her black school robe around her tighter, and fell into the depths of her favourite book, while sipping her Butterbeer.  
  


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Oliver had looked everywhere, and Katie wasn't anywhere to be seen at all. He'd tried everywhere, even the Hogs Head quickly, even though that place gave him the creeps. The less then friendly types snuck around there, and unless you wanted to do a deal to buy something from there, there wasn't much else reason to stray anywhere nearby that place.  
He continued searching, and finally decided she must've gone back to the castle.  
He sighed. He hadn't meant to hurt Katie's feelings, but he'd nearly forgotten the affect Rosmerta always had on males…maybe she had a bit of Veela in her…  
Oliver started his track up to the castle, holding the bag with the blood lollipops along with a few sugar quills. He hadn't bothered to buy new dress robes, since he'd had to get some before school started again, due to the fact his mother had a special birthday party, and therefore, he had to get dressed up.  
He was just wondering what he could say to Katie to make her listen to him and not yell or get upset, when he heard a soft cough and sniffle, coming from the side of the road. He looked, and there she was, curled up with an empty bottle of Butterbeer and a book, and looking dead cold.  
"Katie…? You okay?" he asked carefully, walking closer to her.  
"Go away…"  
"You look really cold, come back to Hogwarts and yell at me there." He smiled, trying to make her smile.  
"Sod off…go make sure Rosmerta's warm and happy and leave me to freeze happily."  
Oliver sat next to her and rearranged her cloak over her shoulders.  
"Katie, she's a Veela or something, it's not my fault! I don't like her or anything, I only like Quidditch…and _you_…" Oliver said gently, pulling the book out of her hands, and putting it back in her schoolbag, before picking it up.  
"Look, I got you a vampire thing…blood lollipops. A souvenir for your stay with us…I'm really going to miss you when you go…and I mean that Katie. Forget Madam Rosmerta and come back to Hogwarts with me, and get warm, and show me your dress robes. I bet you'll look as good as a brand new snitch." Oliver promised, pulling her to stand up, which she didn't fight against.  
She stayed silent for a minute before looking at him, and the vampire blood lolly.  
"I hope you know I haven't forgiven you yet." She finally hugged him, fondly and with affection. "I'll remember this for a while…"  
"I'll make it up to you somehow." Oliver promised, hugging her back tightly. "I'll get you something really special before you go…you like snakes don't you?" he asked, as they walked back to the castle closely for warmth, he holding her bag for her, and her contemplating tasting the bloody goodness of the lollipop.  
  


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At the far end of Hogsmeade, Tamara and Draco were trudging up the path to the Shrieking Shack, carefully avoiding any muddy puddles that lay in their way. Tam turned her back to Draco as she pawed through her bag looking for something.  
"What are you trying to find, Tam?" Draco asked, giving her worried sidewards glances.  
"Oh, just a bottle of butterbeer I bought for the trip." A hint of mischief was hidden in Tam's voice, but unfortunately for Draco, he didn't notice it. They reached the dilapidated building and Tam took out the amber coloured, liquid filled bottle.  
"Would you like some, Draco?" she said sweetly. Too sweetly.  
"Sure," Draco shrugged.  
Tam pulled a small cup out of her bag and began to pour some butterbeer into it.  
"Gosh, Tamara, did you bring the kitchen sink with you, too?" Draco laughed. Tam didn't respond as she was being careful not to spill any butterbeer, and she handed it to Draco. "Cheers." She grinned as lifted the cup to his mouth. _CRUNCH!_   
"What the-?! OW!! _TAAAM_!!!" Draco yelped as he gingerly rubbed his sore nose. Tam exploded into a fit of laughter. "Got ya!" she cried. She took the nose-biting teacup that Draco had bought for her just an hour earlier and held it up in front of his eyes. "You fell right into that one." She smirked, wiggling the cup in front of him.   
"That'll teach me to buy you prank objects." Draco grumbled, but grinned anyway.  
A sudden breeze swept behind them, causing the two Slytherins to turn and look at the old house.  
"The most haunted dwelling in all of Britain…" Draco commented.   
Tam looked at it with apprehension. "Are there really ghosts in there?" she asked timidly.  
"Apparently they used howl and scream and the villagers couldn't get to sleep at night. They said it was always especially bad every full moon." He paused to smirk. "What a bunch of fraidy-cats. _I've_ never heard a peep from this run down place. Look at it," Tam did. "A slanted roof, broken windows, clogged up chimney…" As if on cue, a roof tile dropped off and fell down into one of the old flower boxes, causing a large cloud of dust to rise where it had landed. "Probably like the Weasley's house, I expect." Draco remarked loudly as the legendary trio walked up behind himself and Tamara.  
"Ignore it!" Hermione said sharply to her two friends as soon as the words were uttered from Draco's mouth.  
"He can't keep ignoring me all the time, Granger." Draco sneered. "I _do_ exist."  
"Unfortunately." Harry finally retorted.  
"You know, Harry," Tam interrupted, "If you keep ignoring Draco he won't go away. If that's how you think you'll get rid of your Quidditch opponent, then to put it bluntly, your mind is quite frankly stuffed."  
"He's just knows that he won't be picked to play Seeker for Hogwarts." Draco chimed in.  
"He has skills you could never buy." Ron spat. "And you know it, Malfoy."  
"Oh does he now?" Draco said, turning his attention to the youngest Weasley brother. "Dear me, I nearly forgot you were here, Weasel. Oops! I mean, _Weasley_. But of course… you live here don't you? No wait, I remember now. Your house only _looks_ like the Shrieking Shack. Are there wails and moans at your house too? I suspect it would be your tubby mother shrieking about how bad her life is now that's she married your father."  
Ron's hand was trembling with fury as he gripped his wand, which was warningly being pointed at Draco's pale face. Hermione put a hand on his arm in an attempt to lower it, but Ron wouldn't budge. A corner of Draco's mouth tipped upwards into a smile, and it must have been what pushed Ron over the edge because he called Draco an extremely rude word before raising his wand violently and yelling "_Alfidextra_!" A terrific blue spark launched itself out the end of Ron's wand and sparkled over Draco's head. When it had disappeared, Draco let out a horrified gasp. Harry, Hermione and Ron burst into laughter and Tamara nearly fainted. Draco's hair had disappeared along with the spell.  
"Oh my God, what have you done to him?!" Tam cried.  
"Well, it's obvious isn't it!" Hermione said between fits of giggles. "It doesn't take a genius to figure it out."  
Draco's mouth was silently opening and closing as he tried to take the feeling of being bald in. Tam was fussing over him, close to panicking. "It's okay, it'll grow back! The spell will wear off soon, it will! I'm sure it will! Your hair will grow back, just the way it was before, yes it will, I know it will, it will, it'll grow back!"  
Draco meanwhile, had suddenly found his anger. "Run, Potter…" he growled, taking out his wand.  
"What?" Harry asked, laughing.  
"_Reciprocus_!" Draco yelled, attacking Harry with a pinky-red jet of light. Harry's legs were automatically switched back to front, giving him the weirdest feeling. He tried walking forwards, but his legs carried him in the opposite direction, and when he agreed with them to go that way, they walked back in the other direction again.  
"Good lord, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed as she finally stopped laughing, and watched him as he tried to move properly.  
"What is going on here?!" a stern voice cried.  
The five of them whirled around (except for Harry who whirled the other way, then managed to correct himself). Standing behind them was Professor McGonagall, hands on hips and not looking at all happy. "Just because magic isn't allowed between corridors at the castle, it does not give you the excuse to go running around Hogsmeade cursing each other! What would the villagers have thought of the school if they had seen you?!"  
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco and Tam mumbled ashamedly. "I want all of you to go back to school _now_." Professor McGonagall ordered. "Potter, try not to draw attention to yourself as you walk past the shops, and Malfoy, get out your hat and put in on your head because God forbid, you look an awful sight. Hurry up now, get going."  
And with that, she marched them back through the village and all the way up to Hogwarts castle.  
  


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So really, what do you think about it? Should we continue? Review/Flame us! 


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